Zee Theatre presents, 'Koi Baat Chale', a series of classic stories directed by Seema Pahwa

Zee Theatre brings to its audience yet another path-breaking series of dramatic readings. Titled 'Koi Baat Chale', the series featuressix stories that will begin with Saadat Hasan Manto's 'Toba Tek Singh' and 'Hatak' narrated by Manoj Pahwa and Sadiya Siddiqui respectively. These will be followed by Harishankar Parsai’s ‘Ek Film Katha’, a satire on run-of-the-mill Hindi cinema (narrated by Gopal Datt), Manto's 'Mammad Bhai,' the tale of a Robin Hood-like character (narrated by Vineet Singh) and Munshi Premchand‘s famous stories. 'Gulli Danda' and 'Idgah' (narrated by Vivaan Shah and Vinay Pathak respectively).

Helmed by veteran actor and director Seema Pahwa, this series will airon November 19.

Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer - Special Projects, ZEEL, shares the core idea behind the series and says, "Stories like these are an opportunity to celebrate and rediscover great writers and to see how their brilliance and insight made sense of not just the past but also presaged the future. Narrating these stories brings back the joy of storytelling in our lives in a more intimate way at a time when visuals are taking over the beauty of the written word in its purest form. Also, the themes of the stories we have picked are timeless and will open a door for younger audiences to rediscover their own literary heritage."

Director Seema Pahwa agrees, “I was focussed not just on how stories are presented visually but how they are written. I love that moment of alchemy when a text comes alive in the voice of an actor. I believe that these stories are not just about the past but also about the present and probably the future. For instance, 'Toba Tek Singh' is not just about Partition but what happens when hate and division take over sanity and peace. Similarly, 'Hatak' is about gender questions, the way women are turned into commodities and the invincibility of feminine power. These stories still ring true and that is why it is important to retell them to the new generation."

The two stories will airon Dish TV & D2H Rangmanch and Airtel Theatre on November 27 at 2 pm and 8 pm respectively.