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| The Fragrance Of Gulzar Comes Alive In A Musical Drama |
Shekhar Shastri
12/18/2014
Recently, on a wet, cold evening, the art and life of Gulzar came alive in a musical drama.
“I casually entered the dark hall into what I thought was going to be another Bollywood music show, but right away I was invited into a gripping journey to get lost in memory,†said Kamesh Aiyer of Cambridge.
The story of Gulzar kept unfolding in a dramatic enactment full of memorable melodies, poems, and the audience remained transfixed for the subsequent couple of hours. The musical drama, ‘Gul-o-Gulzar’, was a unique lyrical celebration of poet, and film legend Gulzar performed on December 6th in Lexington, MA.
“I grew up listening to Gulzar songs, watching his films – ‘Gul-o-Gulzar’ was a dream come true,†said Nayanika, the producer of the show.
“Through his 50 -years of prolific career, Gulzar provided an oversupply of extraordinary songs, poems, films; condensing it into a 2-hour show was a challenge,†said director Siraj Khan.
Art connoisseur N. Kalambi remarked, “Gul-o-Gulzar is a unique and original contribution through the dramatization of a well-known personality, adding a level of depth not yet seen in the Boston area.â€
Radio host Harish Dang said, “I am a big fan of his poetry, however I have never met Gulzar in person but here he was on the stage, taking the audience through the many colors of his creativity and eventful life.â€
Shekhar Shastri, who wrote, directed and acted as Gulzar in the full-house show, said, “as the playwright of ‘Gul-o-Gulzar’ my task was of turning a bag of literary and cinematic jewels into an engaging necklace of narration; and then, as an actor, I had to adorn such riches into a living, soulful Gulzar- who simply enters your heart and glows quietly in a profound personal silence.â€
“I was touched by the presence Shekhar created with the unhurried delivery, and the depiction of both the heartfelt anguish and accomplishments, how we are all searching for that deep meaning and fulfillmentâ€, said Brij Masand of Wayland.
In a scene depicting the launch of Gulzar’s film career showed director Bimal Roy acted by Nilay Mukherjee, and composer SD Burman played by Ajay Jain.
A touching scene from film Anand was enacted on stage where Ajay Jaisingh played Anand and Sunny Chandra, Babu Moshoy with Pankaj Shah, Meena Sundaram and Shubhra Chandra singing - moving the audience from joy into tears.
Gulzar’s interaction with his daughter Bosky played by Tehniyat, along with songs sung by Selina Banerjee, and Diya Das brought smiles everywhere and attracted cheerful applause.
RD Burman, a major collaborator of Gulzar was played comically by Sarojit Malik, while singers Anuradha and Sankar sang ‘Beeti na Beetai’ and Meena sang ‘Piya Bawari’ to Muneeza Nasrullah’s dance.
Music was carefully curated by Meena Sundaram, and resonated frequently with each song melodiously rendered by Anuradha Palakurthi, Nayanika, Shantanu Sen, and Dilip. In addition, live background music by Dilip Acharya and Sujeet Phanse highlighted the emotions, silences and transitions.
The boisterous Vishal Bhardwaj songs such as Chappa Chappa’, ‘Sapnon mein Milti Hai’ and ‘Beedi Jalaile’ lit the stage on fire as the audience went berserk to the singing of Shubhra, Shantanu, Pankaj, and Dilip.
The delight of the audience was evident in their remarks. “A work of genius,†said Anil Shah. “My ears are still reverberating with ‘Meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai’ sung by Sankar Gangaikondan, and sums up the poet’s legacy,†said Kumar Nochur of Newton.
Costumes coordinated by Shubhra recreated the earthly elegance that is the trademark of Gulzar’s characters and real life. Kumkum Malik led stage management with Meesha Acharya and Manisha Jain. Gulzar’s poetry flowed from the lips of Kumkum Malik, Fauzia Antulay, Bini Dang, and Sunayana Kachroo; the latter also doubled as Tabassum interviewing Gulzar. Gauri Chandna posed as interviewer Simi Grewal, and Harish Dang appeared as popular radio host Ameen Sayani.
Comedian actors Hetal and Java Joshi filled the hall with laughter each time they showed up. Vijay Kumar appeared as Tagore and Farooq Ansari as Ghalib – all major influences on Gulzar.
“Gul-o-Gulzar was the magic of 2014. I wished the evening never endedâ€, said Khalid Hakim of Burlington, MA.
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