Two weeks back...on the 5th of November...I got to watch one of the legends of Indian theatre on stage...I watched Habib Tanvir on stage as be appeared briefly playing the role of the queen's counsellor in his iconic play 'Charandas Chor'...this play was a part of the Qadir Ali Baig theatre festival held a Hyderabad...I love watching plays and used to catch quite a few plays during my student days at CIEFL, but of late the travel to and from college has made sure that I return bus-lagged in the evening and so going to plays has become a rarity...so I was in two minds when I got this pass for Charandas Chor...I really had to plan...fortunately, one of our college buses touches a spot near Ravindra Bharati where the play was staged and I could make it on time...the hall was packed and I think most of the audience came to see 'Habib Tanvir's Charandas Chor' and not the play...there was quote a jostle for seats...and a few high and mighty babus were seen looking for seats and they had arrived fasionably late...I tried very hard to get involved in the proceedings...the play was very much up my alley...folk songs, folk dialect, folk humour...all these things I cherish in Indian theatre...I enjoyed whenever I drifted into the play...I enjoyed the melodious singing of Nagin Tanvir, Habib Tanvir's daughter...the actor who played Charandas was really good and brought out the 'hoot' quality of the role...the best part of the whole experience was to see Habib Sa'ab on stage...he is old and frail now and agreed to don the grease paint at the request of Qadir Ali Baig's son Mohammed Ali Baig...and the gesture was liked and appreciated by all...and when he spoke before and after the play, one could see glimpses of his wit and humour...in a extremely unselfconscious manner, he said that he has brought his 'ghasa, ghisa, pita' Charandas Chor to Hyderabad...ha ha ha...
For me, there was another bonus...during the interval, it was announced that a CD containing folk songs of the troupe was being sold in the foyer...I went out to see what the CD was about...it turned out to be folk and other songs sung by Nagin Tanvir...as I had already heard her singing on stage, there was no hesitation in picking up this CD...and I enjoyed a variety of songs...
I had earlier seen a Telugu version of this iconic play and this first-time viewing of Charandas Chor kind of filled a gap in the must-watch list of modern Indian plays...
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