Ghalib revisited at a poetry event in Mumbai

Actors during the rehearsal of the play

Theatre artiste Akriti Singh has engaged with Mirza Ghalib's poetry for as long as she can remember. "Ten years, to be precise," she says. But, it was only earlier this year, when she felt the urge to bring alive his work on stage. Ghalib, a new play by Singh, will revisit the magic and romance of the 19th century poet's words, by re-imagining five significant events from his life.

"I have always been interested in Ghalib's poems, but since I am a playwright, I'm more involved in fiction," admits Singh. Hence, instead of taking the beaten path of reading his works on stage, Singh decided to weave stories around his poetry, which though not real, offers us a semblance of his life.

Akriti Singh

All the stories that will be staged, are partially inspired from his life, she says. For instance, Ghalib's fondness for Kolkata was a known fact; so was the story of how in the last years of his life in Delhi, he was reduced to a state of penury. Singh, who plays both Ghalib, as well as a character that inspires the legendary poet to write verse, decided to revisit these events and complete the story for us, by using his writings as the base. There is also a sense of timelessness in the hour-long play, as the characters move seamlessly from the past and the present.

But any story about Ghalib is incomplete without his poetry. "We will of course, be reading and singing Ghalib's shers throughout the play," says Singh. She, however, doesn't feel that the creative licence she has taken, would affect the surreal narrative surrounding the great poet. "Ghalib would have approved of such an idea," she ends.

WHEN: August 19, 7.30 PM
WHERE: Harkat Studios, Bungalow No. 75, JP Road, Aram Nagar Part 2, Andheri West
PRICE: Rs 300
TO BOOK: insider.in

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