From family dramas to comedies, Zee Theatre teleplays you can watch this month

This April, Zee Theatre brings to you a vibrant melange of engrossing, well-written, multi-genre stories drenched in many shades of human experience. Be it a comedy about a controlling patriarch, an insightful exploration of old age, the untold story of a domestic worker or a tale about the quest for self-expression, you can enjoy nuanced and entertaining teleplays all through the month.

Guriya

Directed byKanwal Khoosat and Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, read by well-known actor Mahira Khan and penned byiconicUrdu writer Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi,Guriya, is part ofYaar Julahay, a series of 12 dramatic readings. This intriguingtale about is an unbreakable bond between Mehra and Bano and the role that a mysterious doll has on their lives has elements of supernatural horror and mystery.Why does Bano's mother think that Mehra's beauty is something to be feared? Why does Mehra fear a doll that looks just like her? Why is her life in a strange way connected with both Bano and the doll?Will Mehra and Bano survive the tragedy that is about to visit them? To know the answers to these questions, watch it on 29April.

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Gunehgaar

Woven around three lives, this psychological thriller, an Akarsh Khurana directorial brings together a mysterious manMr. Bansal, investigative journalist Mrinalini and a cop Om on a rainy evening and sets off a chain of events that shocks and stuns the audience. Is this evening a culmination of a crime that was committed along time ago? Was justice done? As theplay progresses, our ideas about all three protagonists undergo a shift and we are forced to reconsider the notions of innocence and guilt. As the plot twists and turns, welearn thatnothing is as it seems.The teleplay starsGajraj Rao, Shweta Basu Prasad and Sumeet Vyas. It can be watched on 30April.

Where Did I Leave My Purdah?

Written and directed by Sahitya Akademi winner Mahesh Dattani, thedramatic teleplay revealslayers of trauma that lie beneath the stoicism of a veteran theatre actorNazia Sahiba. Horrific memories of Partition \and what she and her sister Zarine had to endure during that time continue to haunt her. However,it is her passion for theatre that sustains her through everything but thenthe unexpected arrival of Nikhat, her niece Ruby’s daughter, changes everything.Watch this powerful drama to know how Nazia and Ruby deal with a painful past to make peace with their present.The teleplay stars Sohaila Kapur, Divya Dutta, Swara Bhasker, Sunil Palwal and Deepal Doshi and can be seenon Tata Play Theatre on 9 April.

Court Martial

This acclaimed legal drama by playwright Swadesh Deepak was a precursor to similar stories depicted in films A Few Good Men and Shauryaand explores the toxic power structures that can impact how justice is dispensed in courtrooms. The story is about a junior-ranked army man, Ramchander, whoinexplicably shoots two senior officers and is now being Court Martialed. Hisidealisticdefence lawyer,Vikas Roy however decided to dig deeper to find what prompted Ramchander to commit this crime and what he finds is both shocking and deeply disturbing. Directed by Sourabh Shrivastava, the teleplay starsRajeev Khandelwal, Govind Pandey, Bhagwaan Tiwari, Saksham Dayma and Swapnil Kotriwar. It will be aired on 23April.

Sir Sir Sarla

Should the heart be allowed to have what it wants or should it follow societal norms? The family drama Sir Sir Sarlaexplores this question via the story of professor Palekar and his students Sarla andPhanidhar. Sarla is smitten by her professor and Phanidhar has feelings for her. Theprofessor guides Sarla to marry a man she doesn't love and four lives get enmeshed in a web of pain, regret and dissatisfaction. As Sarla and Phanidhar confront their mentor about why he changed the course of their lives, the professor is forced to confront his own feelings.Filmed bySuman Mukhopadhyay, the teleplay stars Aahana Kumra, Makarand Deshpande, Sanjay Dadhich and Anjum Sharma. It will air on 23April.

Hasmukh Sahab Ki Wasihat

Written and directed by Mahesh Dattani, itis a satirical and witty take on patriarchy within the family unit. At the heart of this play is Hasmukh Mehta who, unlike his name, was a dour and controlling person. In life, he made sure that everyone in his family obeyed his commands and even after his sudden death, he controls them through a will. But then life has a way of disrupting the best laid plans of even the most autocratic men. The play stars Mohan Agashe, Seema Pahwa, Achint Kaur, Mona Wasu andGagan Sethi and will air on 15April.

Sandhya Chhaya

This social drama play written by Marathi playwright Jaywant Dalvi continues to resonate with audiences across generations for its authentic portrayal of old age and the loneliness that comes with it. Though set in the 70s, it still rings true in its depiction of the isolation that old parents feel when their children settle abroad and do not make the effort to stay connected.The protagonists of this story hence represent all old couples who are left with only each other for company and live in the futile hope that their children and grandchildren will one day come to pay them a visit. This poignant social drama is directed by Ishan Trivedi and stars Uttara Baokar, Deepak Qazir and Vinnay Vishwa. It will be aired on Tata Play Theatre on 15April.

Sakubai

This classic comedy-drama written by Nadira Zaheer Babbar is also famous for a powerful solo performance by film, theatre and television veteran Sarita Joshi. Joshi plays Sakubai, a domestic worker who has suffered untold hardships but still has the courage and the resilience to not only smile but also offer sharp insights about life and the people she works for. As the teleplay progresses, it becomes clear that she is no ordinary woman and is more than just an unappreciated, overworked 'bai’. The story offers a window into the lives of millions of domestic workers who continue to serve with a smile despite their personal tribulations. Filmed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the teleplay will be aired on 22April.

Jhaanjhar Di Paanwan Chhankaar

Adapted from Butterflies Are Free, a 1972 American comedy based on the 1969 play by Leonard Gershe, this comedy drama revolves around a blind young man who wants to lead an independent personal and creative life away from the controlling protectiveness of his mother. He moves in with a neighbour who is an aspiring actor and has taken up an unusual role in a movie. The two discover interesting things about each other's lives and the play takes an interesting turn when the mother decides to interfere once again with this newfound freedom.Directed by Kanwal Khoosat and Sarmad Khoosat , the teleplay stars Sarmad himself along with Saniya Mumtaz, Zain Afzal and Iman Shahid. It will be aired on 30April.

Toba Tek Singh

This classic tragedy penned by Saadat Hasan Manto is part of Zee Theatre's anthology, Koi Baat Chale. Directed bySeema Pahwa and narrated by Manoj Pahwa, the story is set a few years after the Partition, when the governments of India and Pakistan decided to exchange some Muslim, Sikh and Hindu lunatics. At the heart of this tale is Bishan Singh, a Sikh inmate of a Lahore asylum who longs for his hometown Toba Tek Singh but when he learns that the town is now in Pakistan, he refuses to go.What happens next is both heart-breaking and eye-opening.Watch this dramatic reading 29 April.

Idgah

Munshi Premchand's a slice of life and timeless story Idgahis part of theSeema Pahwa directorial, Koi Baat Chaleand is read by Vinay Pathak. The story revolves around the selfless generosity of ayoung orphan Hamid and his quest to find the perfect Eid gift for his old grandmother Amina. Hamid believes that his father has left home to earn money and will return some day. He also thinks his mother has gone to Allah to fetch lovely gifts for him anduntouched by the cynicism of adults, he does not let poverty stop him from making an extraordinary gesture for his grandmother.Watch Idgahon 29April.

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