The historic Taramati Baradari, a cultural complex in Hyderabad, was a fitting venue for the 19th edition of the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival, which offered a platform for women to narrate stories of women. After all, Taramati Baradari was built in fond memory of a multi-faceted artist and the favourite courtesan of a Qutb Shahi king. In the play Miracle on Matunga Street, for example, actor and singer Ila Arun transforms into Tulsa Harry Peter, a matriarch protecting her family. In Farida, directed by Nadira Babbar, a young Kashmiri wife tries to make sense of her life after her husband abandons her. In Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, actor Himani Shivpuri plays a greying yet colourful lady who strikes up a relationship with a doctor completely unlike her.
The 2024 edition was a tribute to Begum Razia Beg, wife of the thespian Qadir Ali Baig, and mother of the festival director and Padma Shri recipient Mohammad Ali Baig. Razia died earlier this year after co-curating the festival for 18 years. “She was a woman of perseverance who carried on the mantle of theatre for 40 years,” said Mohammad Ali. “She was also a constructive critic who was more than a mother to me. She mentored many theatre artistes across the country. It was a surreal feeling to see actors break protocol and touch her feet before the show. She was not an actor, but rather focused on production, aesthetics, costumes, content and presentation. She never wanted credit. The only time I saw her disagree with my father was when he wanted her name on the brochure.”
The festival concluded with a poetry recitation in honour of Razia. Mystical Fragrance—An Ode to Motherhood was conceived and designed by Mohammad Ali. It featured UstadMa Zila Khan in concert with Mohammad Ali and actor Dolly Thakore. Mohammad Ali was moved by some of the tributes and suggestions, like the one to leave a vacant seat for his mother in every edition of the festival. He says he is following her mandate of showcasing meaningful yet popular plays with clean content that can be enjoyed by children and conservative families.
With an attendance of over 5,000 people, including theatre students who were given free access, the five-day festival hosted masterclasses and workshops. Veteran film actor Ashish Vidyarthi, known for his work in multiple languages, shared his journey, enthralling the audience with humorous anecdotes about his real and reel experiences. Thakore spoke on voice artistry, while actor and playwright Alexander Wright taught the nuances of storytelling. The festival was inaugurated by Telangana governor Jishnu Dev Varma, who lauded Mohammad Ali and his team for reshaping the theatre scene in Hyderabad. Mohammad Ali, who has appeared in OTT shows like She on Netflix, and films like Aruvi (2016), Cobra (2022) and Sardar (2022), will next be seen in Rainbow, with Rashmika Mandanna.
How has he managed to keep the festival relevant all these years, even in the era of YouTube, Instagram, and OTT? According to him, 40 per cent of the audience are repeat attendees while 60 per cent are newcomers. His recipe is simple—do not go overboard with abstraction, politics or vulgarity. Instead, keep it straightforward and entertaining. “Seventy per cent of my audience is a mix of IT professionals, diplomats, bureaucrats, real estate professionals, designers and architects—people from different sections of society,” said Mohammad Ali, who has performed in Edinburgh and other international venues. “You need to make theatre palatable and the audience should increase. I don’t do theatre for 10 or 15 people. If you are performing in a 1,000-seater auditorium, at least 90 per cent should connect with the performance. Connecting in the visual medium is very important. You are not painting or writing a book. You are onstage performing for an audience, and without an audience, there is no theatre. There can be a book without a reader and a painting without a buyer, but in theatre, who are you performing for?”
He feels that the performing arts have become somewhat endangered, with no funding or sponsorship because of a neglect of audience tastes. The Qadir Ali Baig Festival was one of the few legacy events that continued even during the pandemic. Although Mohammad Ali has acted in a few movies and TV shows, he is strongly against the idea of seeing his plays performed online, as he believes theatre is meant to be experienced live. Describing how the festival brand has grown over the years, he fondly recalled actor Tom Alter saying that, “for us, Hyderabad means the Qadir Ali Baig Festival”. The new adage, he said, goes: “It is that time of the year,” marking the beginning of the festival in October-November. He said that the late Bengali actor Usha Ganguly had once remarked, “It is an annual get-together of the country’s theatre family.”
He recalled two theatre stars whose names could sell tickets on the black market—Habib Tanvir and Qadir Ali Baig. Despite acting in only one film each—Habib in Gandhi (1982) and Qadir Ali in Ankur (1974)—both earned star status. “For Baig Saab’s show, a ticket of Rs5 was sold for Rs50 in the black market,”he said.
He is disappointed that the same zeal and commitment seem to be waning among today’s thespians. “Nowadays, theatre artistes come for a warm-up, and once they get a break on the silver screen, they do not continue in theatre. This is a problem. If you treat it as a hobby or vocation, then how do you make money out of it? If the approach is right, success follows,” he said. He feels elated when he encounters parents who tell him that they want their children to become like him. “My effort is to bring dignity to theatre and remove the tag of ‘bechara theatre wallah’ (poor theatre fellow),” said Mohammad Ali.