As a play about legendary singer Gauhar Jaan completes 30 shows and readies for a tour of Pakistan, here’s gauging her mystique and appeal among modern audiences
Rajeshwari Sachdev
The stage comes alive with live renditions of Thumri and sepia-tinted photographs of Allahabad, Benares, Lucknow and Kolkata, offering a historical, political and cultural recap. A perfectly poised Rajeshwari Sachdev plays the role of the flamboyant Gauhar Jaan. Directed by Lillete Dubey and written by Mahesh Dattani, Gauhar is based on a book titled, My Name is Gauhar Jaan by Vikram Sampath.
“Theatre is one of the last few pure options left as far as creative work goes, because little money is involved. I like to produce my own plays; it gives me the freedom to tell the stories I want. When I chose to do a play on the life of Gauhar Jaan, both, people from the fraternity and sponsors, said that young audiences won’t be interested in the life of an old Thumri singer,” shares Dubey.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The fact that we opened the play in November 2015, and we are already at the 30th show this weekend says that the young audience is open to experiencing new ideas.”
Rajeshwari Sachdev
Probing a life
Produced by Prime Time Theatre Co., the play tells the story the classical superstar of her time, known to be feisty and independent. “She was gifted. Gauhar’s mother had trained her in music and dance. She sang in over 20 languages and cut close to 600 records. She achieved fame at the age of 15. She was the first Indian and woman to record on the gramophone. All that talent was bound to come with some arrogance,” laughs Sachdev, whose biggest challenge was mastering the music. “I have been singing for many years but I’m not classically trained. Even the bits where you lip sync need a certain amount of conviction, and Thumri is a difficult style,” she shares.
Rajeshwari Sachdev with Zila Khan
According to Bengaluru-based historian Sampath’s book, Gauhar led a life of ups and downs. After the divorce of her parents, Angelina Yeoward followed her mother in conversion to Islam and adopted the name Gauhar Jaan. They moved to Benares, where the talented Gauhar had the good fortune of training under eminent gurus. The mother and daughter later moved to Calcutta in 1883 and established themselves in the court of the exiled Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. In 1902, when the Gramophone Company came to India to record native artistes, Gauhar became the first Indian voice to be recorded by agent Frederick William Gaisberg. Her hedonistic lifestyle and chaotic love affairs soon reduced her to beggary. That was when the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV invited her to his court in 1928. She passed away in Mysore in 1930.
“Gauhar earned R3,000 per performance. Can you imagine what the value of that money was in those days? She died a pauper. There was no one to bury her or write on the tombstone. She was socially bankrupt too,” shares Sachdev, who learnt about the legend from data presented in Sampath’s book. “The play includes live performances on stage by renowned musicians. Most of them had never heard of Gauhar Jaan. The play is a revelation for the younger generation, who know little about those times,” says Dubey.
Denzil Smith and Rajeshwari Sachdev in a scene from Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan for today
“The reason why Gauhar’s work is still available on social media is because she broke norms and envisioned the future. She was the Amy Winehouse of her time, minus the drugs. When people scoffed at the idea of singing a Raag in two-and-a-half minutes, she took up the challenge,” says Dubey. Like Gauhar’s life, the play too has seen its share of upheavals. “It wasn’t the best opening, and we got flak from eminent theatre people. We worked on the defects and the play has evolved,” says Sachdev.
Rajeshwari Sachdev and Danny Sura
The two-hour play will travel to various cities in the coming months followed by a show in London in October and a four–city tour of Pakistan in November. “The reason for doing the play in English, with a smatter of Hindustani for flavour, was to go beyond the Indian diaspora. Her story and music are universal. Her high-pitched and flirtatious announcement, ‘My name is Gauhar Jaan,’ at the end of all her recordings was her way to be immortal. They will not know me but they will know the songs, she would say.”
Lillete Dubey
ON Today, 7.30 pm AT St Andrews Auditorium, Bandra (W). CALL 26410926
On July 31, 7 pm AT Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
