A pet dog of an argumentative couple. Its loyalty torn between the man and the woman, who cannot stand each other. How would the couple’s actions and behaviour shape the dog’s perspective?
This unique scenario forms the crux of Kutta Aurat Aadmi, the Hindi adaptation of German playwright Sibylle Berg’s acclaimed play Dog, Woman, Man. Mumbai’s Afsana Theatre will perform Kutta Aurat Aadmi at the 18th Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival in Hyderabad.
The five-day fest starts on October 5, and the focus is on literary adaptations this year. Plays based on celebrated works of Indian, European, Palestinian and Afghan novelists and poets will be staged. Urdu literary icon Ismat Chugtai will be remembered with Kagaz ke Gubbare, a play inspired by her classic stories and novels on themes such as feminism. Words Have Been Uttered, which has writings of Persian poet Omar Khayyam and Punjabi poet Lal Singh Dil, will celebrate dissent.
Around 100 artistes will be part of the festival, organised in collaboration with Telangana Tourism. Venues include Hyderabad’s historical landmarks such as the Salar Jung Museum and Taramati Baradari. Previous editions had monuments like Golconda Fort, Qutub Shahi Tombs, Falaknuma Palace, Chowmahalla Palace and Moazzam Jahi Market providing the backdrop. Works showcased in this edition span genres like poetry and traditional puppetry, and dance and satire.
The festival is named after Hyderabadi theatre legend Qadir Ali Baig. Since its start in 2006, it has become a renowned platform for theatre artistes. Mohammad Ali Baig, Qadir Ali’s son and the festival’s curator, says his father’s dream of putting Hyderabad on the global theatre map has been fulfilled.
“Ours is probably the only theatre festival in Asia that was held even during the pandemic. We had to adhere to safety protocols though. The fest has turned into one of the biggest in the country even without a venue of its own,” says Baig.
The event attracts big names of the theatre world. Thespians such as Habib Tanvir, Usha Ganguly, Tom Alter, Surekha Sikri and Jalabala Vaidya had their last stage appearances here. Alyque Padamsee, Pankaj Kapur and Kulbhushan Kharbanda made their theatre comebacks on this stage. Regulars include Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher.
Mohammad Ali Baig and wife Noor in Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada.
The festival is a platform for young talent as well. Past editions had Heeba Shah, Shazahn Padamsee, Ira Dubey and Juhi Babbar proving their mettle.
Talents from abroad―such as Footsbarn Theatre and dancer Philippe Prisso from France, dancer-choreographer Victoria Hauke from Germany, and actor Anahi Martella from Argentina―have left lasting impressions on the festival. Cultural performances held during the festival have been enriched by big names like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Anoushka Shankar and Rahul Sharma.
This year, artistes in attendance include Aanjjan Srivastav, Masood Akhtar, Mita Vashisht, Sunil Shanbag, Ayesha Raza, Anubha Fatehpuria and Dalavai Kullayappa. There will be free master classes by Srivastav, Shanbag and Baig on theatre management and the Indian method of acting. The work of progressive writer and poet Meena Kandasamy will be showcased.
Baig says the plays that will be staged have been modified to reflect the changing times. “The content of the plays has to connect with today’s people. The attention span of the ‘TikTok generation’ is very short. We have trimmed plays keeping that in mind,” he says.
According to him, OTT platforms have opened up a world of opportunities for theatre artists. Baig himself played the role of a cop in the second season of the popular Netflix series She.
Baig, however, does not believe in using digital platforms to make theatre more popular. “What is the fun in watching a play online?” he asks. Theatre, he says, “survived the threat of television, movies, cable TV, internet and even OTT”.
“We cannot compromise on the decorum of theatre,” he says.