A 20 year-old love letter

As iconic Hindi play Tumhari Amrita completes two decades, director Feroz Abbas Khan explains the method behind the madness

There is something appealing about love stories. They remind us of the first time our hearts skipped a beat when we trained our sights on that special someone, indulged in never-ending conversations and shed tears after bidding goodbye. And if we have renowned actors Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh chronicling the lives of two lovers, only by reading letters, then that makes it all the more memorable.

In February 1992, when director Feroz Abbas Khan thought of helming Tumhari Amrita, a Hindi play that follows the trials and tribulations of Amrita (Azmi) and Zulfikar (Shaikh), he was confident that it would not run for more than three shows. After all, it didn't have a bound script or huge sets and the actors performed without any rehearsals. However, he was wrong. This Sunday, 2012, Tumhari Amrita turns 20.

Khan was attracted to the production after his US-based friend gave him a script of American playwright's AR Gurney's Love Letters. He says, "I loved the play but could not get myself to do it in English as it was so American. I believed Indian audiences would feel alienated by its cultural context."

Khan decided to approach Javed Siddiqui to pen Tumhari Amrita for Indian audiences. He explains, "I watched an episode of Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj, penned by Siddiqui. The language enthralled me. It was Hindustani, it had the poetry and imagery of Urdu and yet it was accessible to the uninitiated. I met Siddiqui and thus began Tumhari Amrita's journey. Drawing inspiration from India's composite culture, he etched these memorable characters travelling in time and space against the tumultuous social and political transformation that India was experiencing."

Khan decided to cast Azmi and Shaikh as "they were the ideal couple in a picture frame and a love story, where they could not live with or without each other." However, the biggest challenge for him was to helm the production without using the conventional tools of drama. He explains, "I discovered that getting the actors to communicate the spontaneous without memorising was hard."

But the team managed to get their act together and staged it at Prithvi Theatre. The overwhelming response took it across India, Europe, US and Pakistan, and the play is being performed till date. Quiz Khan about the secret of its success and he says, "The writing, simplicity of presentation, truthful performances and deep connection with the audience have drawn them to it time and again."

At: February 27, Bandra Fort, 7 pm
Entry: Complimentary invites available at the TOI office at Dr DN Road By Rinky Kumar