JOIN USLife of a spirited classical singer
When you come out of the auditorium after watching Begum Jaan, you realise why Ekjute theatre group has scaled such heights in the past three decades. Its Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s magic as an actress and a director that lends weight to the accolades bestowed on her!
Staging the much-loved character of Begum Jaan - a legendary classical singer of yesteryears, Nadira floored the theatre veterans with her skills. Begum Jaan - Ek ahsas kal aur aaj, is a story that revolves around her character of an old witty lady, which she portrays with excellence.
The opening scene sees a vintage lamp light up the black stage, just before the whole set is lit up to introduce the audience to Begum Jaan’s granddaughter Zarina (Juhi Babbar Soni) and Sanjay Pande (Anup Soni), a journalist who is in search of Begum Jaan and wishes to interview her.
His ulterior motives of laying hands on some letters addressed to the Begum by a certain ‘Maulana’ is discovered much later. Meanwhile, their opening conversation introduces the viewer to Begum Jaan. The real lady is much more dramatic than what the suave scribe has estimated her to be.
Dressed impeccably (including matching rings with her shararas each time she changed costume) with a bent back, Nadira enters and leaves little opportunity for other actors to entice the audience. Hereon, it is the flamboyant manner of her dialogue delivery and the subtle humour that rules the show.
The main plot, however, lies in the pain that is hidden in her laughter and engaging tricks. It is the agony of the loss of culture in an independent and emerging India that the affluent Begum Jaan revisits in her interactions with the scribe and her grandchild. Underlying messages such as the poor condition of artistes in India; anguish of Partition and references to dying culture and language, are often brought into play.
Wrapped in humour, the script penned by the acclaimed Javed Siddique deserves real appreciation. Almost every dialogue of Begum Jaan stands out as an independent sher arousing applause from the listeners. The experience is doubled by the acting prowess of Nadira.
“The play brings about all that I want to say. It reminds me of the losing language and culture which I have grown up in,” says Nadira who finds the story very close to her heart. In addition, the lights - specially the spot on the portrait of bejewelled Begum Jaan in her youth and on her dead body, shining in a white dress, are intelligently set.