House-full for neighbours

From Germany, Switzerland and Poland to the Czech Republic, Israel and Japan, you will find plays aplenty at the National School of Drama’s (NSD) annual Bharat Rang Mahotsav in New Delhi in the coming week. But even more intriguing will be plays from the subcontinent — Pakistan and Afghanistan in particular. The severely strained border relations of the moment, ironically, fuels an obvious buzzing curiosity around the fine arts.

This year, in the 12 days of the festival starting January 7, NSD brings a play titled Kapoochee from Afghanistan, directed by Haroon Noori and performed by Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University. This production is highly experimental, through improvisations relating the story of a boy named Kapoochee, who searches for his kidnapped fiancée. The director, who is currently studying theatre in California, immediately calls to attention what people in India seem to think of Afghans. Most people think Afghans mastermind bomb attacks, says Noori, but the truth, he says, is that “No Afghan has done that ever. Everybody knows who does it.” He is intrigued by the interest Afghan theatre has created worldwide, and says thanks to this increased interest, the profession is being taken more seriously in his country, as “the world watches them taking steps”.

The Pakistani plays at the festival have also seen an overwhelming rush for tickets, with Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vekhya by S Kermani and A Zafari being staged on January 11, and another production from the country, Glad Tidings & Abdullah directed by Salman Shahid, on January 16.

The former, based on an actual incident, takes its basic premise from post-partition Lahore, of an immigrant family. And perhaps it is this familiarity of background and history taken to the stage that the Indian audience finds an easy connection with. Director Noori makes an interesting point. “What binds us together are the stories and relationships which are so similar, our social lives and closely knit family structure. And the love. You can’t find these elements in Europe or America,” he says.

Also on show from Afghanistan at the festival is Letter of Suffering, directed by Monireh Hashemi. The play is a symbolic piece on how the will of women, once a free and independent force, has now been captured and enslaved by the forces of oppression and darkness.

From Pakistan, Hotel Mohenjodaro by Madeeha Gauhar also finds a date on the festival calendar, emphasising that even while political relations between the countries tread a fine line, “the artistic dialogue is important and it should go on”, says Anuradha Kapoor, director, NSD.

And a dialogue it certainly is, for Indian plays that go to the neighbouring countries are devoured with as much gusto. More theatre groups are coming across the border because “people take India very seriously, given a great sense of influence from Bollywood and television serials”, director Noori says.

And language isn’t a significant barrier. A fairly large number of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan understand Hindi, and Noori is even confident that there will be Afghan plays in Hindi staged in India in a few years. Such is the power of culture.