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History caught off guard

Updated on: 30 April,2017 09:28 AM IST  | 
Kusumita Das |

The Danish Husain-directed historic satire, Guards At The Taj, might be rooted in the 17th century, but its story continues to ring relevant in present times

History caught off guard


The Taj Mahal, emperor Shah Jahan's monument of love, is viewed through very different lens in the play Guards At The Taj, that has been written by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph. Director Danish Husain has taken inspiration from Joseph's absorbing text to put together the play, for the first time for Mumbai audiences. The play which premiered in New York in 2015, has had quite a run around the world. Husain's version, however, is entirely his imagination. "I have only seen pictures of the international productions. This play has been done from scratch," he says.


Set in 1648, the play is a historical satire, played out by two imperial guards at the Taj Mahal, on the eve of the monument's first public showing 350 years ago. The guards - played by Vrajesh Hirjee and Joy Fernandes - haven't actually seen it and then, they are ordered to perform an unthinkable task, which leads them to question the very ideas of friendship, service and institution. Is the play then rooted in historic context, we ask Husain. "The idea is to present a story relevant to all times. For everything to make sense, it doesn't need to be factual. The whole Taj legend about twenty thousand hands being chopped off is essentially a myth - there is no historic proof of that. But it is a deeply human story."


Interestingly, the two guards in the play are called Babur and Humayun, and Husain was relieved to find his cast in Hirjee and Fernandes, respectively. Speaking of the former, with whom he shares a friendship of two decades, the director says, "Vrajesh is a bundle of livewire. Even after a hundred rehearsals, he'll still do something that's fresh and unique." About Fernandes, he says, "I first saw him in Atul Kumar's play Superclown and I've been a great admirer of his work. The kind of improvisation and talent Joy brings on stage is what I needed in my Humayun.

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