Chalte Chalte
A Tribute to legendry Meena Kumari
Saturday March 22, 2014 at Keefe Tech
By; Sumaiya Khatoon & Fauzia Hussain

The ‘Chalte Chalte’ is a tribute to our legendry actress of Indian cinema. This event will carry enactment, song, dances and some very exciting surprises. It features some very well renowned local artists, such as Anuradha Palakurthi, Shua A. Khan, Sowmya Shree, Nidhi Tare, Sharanya Sarkar, Salman Wajahat Dar, Mohan Subramaniam, and Sankar Gangaikondan performing Meena Kumari’s most popular songs. The performance will also feature several local dancers who will be performing to some of the finest Meena Kumari’s dances.

The Show is all about Meena Kumari, who ruled the world of Indian cinema, whose name in India has now become synonymous with the tragic heroine. She shot into stardom in the early fifties with the release of Baiju Bawra (1952). Exceptionally fascinating and incredibly dramatic, that was the life of actor Meena Kumari. But, a generation that recalls her as a tragedienne-an actor who specializes in tragic roles, barely knows that her life was actually all about tears and ironies.

Meena Kumari, who was born as Mahjabeen Bano to Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum. She started her career in films as a child artiste. She played versatile roles in a number of films which were a great success at the box office. She co-starred with all the leading and renowned heroes of her time and her contribution to Indian cinema was monumental. Her film Pakeezah, in which she performed a mujra dance, was a magnum opus. Her popularity soared to great heights and she was considered a big name in the film industry.

In a career that spanned from 1939 through to 1972, Meena Kumari went on to act in a total of 94 movies. She started her career with the mythological films with Homi Wadia and then comedies like Miss Mary (1957). She became a household name after her performances in 'Baiju Bawra', 'Parineeta', 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam' and 'Kaajal', for which she also received 'Best Actress' awards. An actor immortalized in some of the most scintillating performances of the perennially suffering Indian woman that ever lit up the screens of Hindi cinema, Meena Kumari was also thought to be the industry’s only actress who could sell a film on the strength of her name alone. It was also her extraordinary voice that struck the right balance between the erotic and the pathetic and ensured her place in the hearts of the Indian movie-going public. 

Her nasal voice combination rendered a distinctive dialogue that became her real asset. It was so appealing that audience was mesmerized by her dialogue. She was more of an inner beauty than just outer beauty and was more of a personality than an actress. She is a presentation of the struggle that a big hearted person like her faced in real life and didn’t find her future reveal glad tidings. If we look at it closely, it however is the story of a society that refuses to accept its own faults and would gladly give away its sweet flowers to preserve a morality that is decadent at best.

Her private life was not different from the plots of her own movies, which is also thought to be one of the reasons of her popularity. It is a lesser-known fact the Kamal Amrohi, who first met her as a child artist for a film he was working on. Fourteen years later, they got married on what is considered as the most romantic day of the year; The Valentine’s Day – February 14th. However, A few years after the marriage, Kamal and Meena started having differences, and started to drift apart, and finally divorced during 1964, leaving 'Pakeezah' incomplete, was finally completed shortly before her tragic death in 1972.

Her love for books and the reading and written words was so immense. Her poetic skills merit a separate piece and a collection of her poems in Urdu under the pen name Naaz was published after her death.

With this Show ‘Chalte Chalte’ is a presentation of wonderful & powerful personality of the Indian Cinema. In her own words –
“After I leave the world in my loneliness.
What will you do with...Why hear me
narrate...My story that’s bland
and
these talesjoyless” – Meena Kumari

 
Tickets are available;  http://bostondesiconnection.com/view-events/?ee=32


“Good plans shape good decisions.
That's why good planning helps to
make elusive dreams come true.”

Chalte Chalte is a dream event and an attempt to re-create the Meena Kumari’s magic which will be unforgettable and talked about. It is based on energy, enthusiasm, positivity, happy coincidences, amazing experiences.  There is something in this year that is different. As the month of March approaches, we all gear up for the onset of spring, and therefore, the ideal time to commemorate the legendary actor Meena Kumari.

The Chalte Chalte team is comprised of popular singers, dancers and perhaps the best of local artistes. The entire team is doing everything possible to make it an engaging and enjoyable experience for the audience. The event will unleash a string of best scenes emulated by our local stars from her most popular movies. The indomitable spirit and effervescent energy of Razia Mashkoor, the director/writer and conceptualizing of this event, adds vigor and vitality to the show with her team. She truly has the clairvoyance to anticipate the characters that suit individuals. We feel blessed to be an integral part of this event and be in the company of dynamic, talented people.

Chalte Chalte Team;

Core team: Harish Dang, Bipin Parekh, Shobha Shastri, Bini Dang, Nayanika Yellepeddi and Suhaib Siddiqi.

Singers; Anuradha Palakurthi, Shua A. Khan, Sowmya Shree, Sharanya Sarkar, Nighi Tare, Salman Dar, Sankar Gangaikondan, Mohan Subramaniam.

Dancers; Muneeza Nasrullah, Mona Mitra, Nikita Rao, Shikha Bajpai, Ilina Shah and Umesh Rao

Actors; Ajay Jain, Ajay Jaysingh, Pratibha Shah, Monisha Prakash, Serena Arora, Ishita Rao, Mujahid Khaleel, Muneeza Nasrullah, Fauzia Hussain, Arhan Khan.

Special Appearance;  Henal Motiwala, Sapna Aggarwal, Seema Arora.

Stage Manager; Sneh Jaysingh, Rekha Parliwala, Bhavana Motiwala, Sapna Aggarwal.

MC, Anuradha Palakurthi, Harish Dang, Sunayana Kachroo, Shekhar Shastri, Razia Mashkoor.

Sounds; Ravi Nimmagadda/Prateek Paul/Rajiv Gangurde/Durrul Antulay.

Production Team; Suhaib Siddiqi, Yasser Afghan, Mujahid Khaleel.

Stage Decorations: Alankar Event Planners & Décor

Other team members are, Nayanika Yellepeddi, Mohd Shahid, Avinash Aggarwal, Roopam Arora, Alka Parwani,

Media Partners: India New England, Sounds of India, Lokvani and Gunjan, Boston Desi connection.

Tickets will be purchase from Jan 1, 2014 from http://bostondesiconnection.com/ and Lokvani.com

What’s more, it is an incredibly valuable experience to be a part of such an innovative, multicultural, coordinative team working sedulously to unveil the unknown facet of each one of us. Do join us on Saturday March 22, 2014 at Keefe Tech Auditorium in Framingham. Save your tickets today, visit www.bostondesiconnection.com, call @ 781-560-8123 or write us at raziamashkoor@yahoo.com.

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