Interview: Feroz Abbaas Khan on his musical 'Mughal-e-Azam' and challenges of theatre in India
Director Feroz Abbas Khan
The theatrical adaptation of the 1960 classic Hindi film ‘Mughal-eAzam’ is back on stage once again. Director by one of India’s most prominent theatre directors Feroz Abbas Khan, ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ the musical is in its 18th season.
Over the years, Khan’s show has travelled across cities, giving its unique tribute to K Asif’s epic saga on the screen which starred Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Prithviraj Kapoor.
The film is a little over six decades old, yet the story remains timeless. For generations, the tragic love story of Anarkali a courtesan and Prince Jehangir has captured the imagination of art and cinema lovers. The audience loved it back when it had released in cinemas and the audience has heaped equal praises over Khan’s show. Khan feels that the play was accepted because they never tried to imitate the original but instead paid a tribute to K Asif’s film. “It was our version of the story,” said Khan in an exclusive chat to WION.
Khan feels the story will remain timeless for decades to come. “It is the story of Anarkali, it is the story of the powerless who stands up against power and I think the idea of standing up against bullying, against the authority is what makes ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ so appealing. She was ready to sacrifice her own life because, for her, her love for Saleem was far more important than her own life,” said Khan.
The film was re-released a few years back with colour correction and that's when Khan decided to adapt for the stage. But he admits he never thought that the play would have 18 seasons.
“We had planned only for the first season,” recalls the director. “We had no idea, we thought we would be lucky if it went more than one season.”
Khan says while he had envisioned the play to be a musical always, there were challenges in plenty. “The biggest challenge was how do we negotiate the memories of the people which are so deeply engraved for those who have seen the film."
The other challenge was to get adequate resources for the production, just like the movie was mounted on a big scale. Khan recalls he needed actors who would not just act but were also great singers and confident to sing live.
“Some of the actresses came in but had to let them go because they loved the idea, but there is a process in theatre and cinema, it's different- you come - you shoot in portions, seconds are stitched together but not in the theatre, its a long process,” Khan reasoned.
While Khan is well known for his plays like Tumhari Amrita, Mahatma VS Gandhi and Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, it is widely believed that theatre is not a very well-paying medium. Compared to cinema and television, theatre pays far less and hence not a preferred career option for many artists. But Khan feels he has been most comfortable in theatre.
“I gave up a lot of things to do this. I am most happy doing theatres, most comfortable doing theatre- other things came my way, did two films but my place is theatres. I know that when you take up a profession like a theatre, you won’t be wealthy you won’t be having that kind of a lifestyle but if you make enough money to live a comfortable life it’s fine. But what you get by doing theatre is far more purposeful and meaningful than anything in life,” Khan said and added, “There is some kind of divinity on people who get on to the stage. I am not a religious person but I do see some force that exists in people on stage.”
Khan also feels that theatre will never be obsolete. “It’s been there for 5000 years, it’s still going stronger. It can never be replaced by anything. It has a unique bond with the viewer. We keep hearing that there will be an obituary in theatre but is never been this strong.”
The director says Kolkata, Mumbai and Lucknow have the best audience for theatre. Khan has also dabbled in cinema and made two films in the past- ‘Gandhi My Father’ and ‘Dekh Tamasha Dekh’. Does he plan to direct another film in the near future, we ask. “I want to direct a film now- I am struggling with couple of subjects are there so let’s see,” says the director before signing off.
