Freedom of expression is what makes the arts strong: Shabana Azmi

Koi to sood chukaye, koi to zimma lein, us inquilaab ka jo aaj tak udhaar sa hai,” recited actress Shabana Azmi while chatting with us about the poet behind this verse, her father Kaifi Azmi. The actress, who was on a brief visit to Kolkata to announce the birth centenary celebrations of her father, also spoke about the poet’s love for fountain pens, the relevance of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and the importance of social media. Excerpts… On Kaifi Azmi’s association with IPTA
and its relevance in today’s world
First, we have to keep in mind the fact that IPTA is the largest theatre group in the world with 10,000 members. Right after independence, the stalwarts of India made people aware that
the arts, especially theatre and songs, should be used as instruments for social change. My father was the all India president of IPTA and he believed that instead of constantly having theatre only in auditoria, it’s important to take it to the streets and
the people. So, he started many initiatives like IPTA Balmanch, in which he involved children. One of his most important contributions is I think the inter-collegiate drama competition in Mumbai.
A lot of the talents you see today in theatre and films actually come from there. Now, I do feel that the space for art as an instrument for social change seems to be shrinking and it’s really important to reclaim that space.
On freedom of speech
When my father spoke about empowerment of women, social justice and communal harmony, he was someone who practised what he preached. We must remember he wrote a poem called Aurat more than 70 years ago. At a time when it was believed that women should stay home and look after the kitchen, while men should go out and struggle, he had said, ‘Uth meri jaan, mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe’ (Rise my love, you have to walk with me). You have to realise that in those days, poets were treated how heroes are treated today. They used to have huge fan bases. So, the progressive writer’s movement was very strong. Today, it seems that it doesn’t have the same power. But I think that’s a fallacy. A lot of young people are realising that people don’t like to be preached; people don’t have much faith in the political world. So they watch theatre and I think that’s an extremely effective medium. On my father’s birth centenary, when we
celebrate him, we’ll also celebrate the ideology that arts should be used as an instrument for social change.
Plans for centenary celebrations
There’s a play by my husband, Javed Akhtar, called Kaifi Aur Main, which is based on my mother’s (Shaukat Azmi) book — Kaifi and I. In the play, Javed plays my father and I play my mother. It’s a kind of a collage. We’ve already had 300 shows. We are also bringing in a new production called Raag Shayari. Conceived by Javed, it will have Shankar Mahadevan singing my father’s poems, Javed reciting them in Urdu and I, reciting
the English translations. Also, there will be a pen festival to mark his birthday that will feature a special edition pen called Kaifi Azmi. He never wrote with a ball-point pen. His only worldly possessions were his 18 fountain pens and his Communist Party card.
On freedom of expression
Whenever they try to muffle a voice of dissent, it grows even louder. Ultimately, freedom of expression is what makes the arts strong. Maybe not in a
typical way, but if you look at social media, you’ll understand. There’s no censorship in social media and on a personal level, you can reach out to millions at the click of a button. So this space is becoming more and more important. Also, you know we don’t often realise that there are many stand-up comics who are also using that space.
Art-house cinema and its relevance today
You have to understand that film is an expensive medium. It’s not like paintings where all you put at stake is the cost of the canvas, colours and brushes. Even the cheapest film costs almost a crore of rupees. You have to make an attempt to recover that money. Today, when you are talking about art films, you’re talking about films that don’t adhere to the box-office formula. Films like Masaan etc don’t adhere to that formula. Today, independent cinema is a different avatar of art cinema.
Take on #MeToo
It’s an extremely important issue, as it’s necessary for people to feel secure in their workplaces. On one hand, we keep saying that we want equality and we want women to feel safe, and on the other, we know how power gets abused. So, the fact that the initiative has started and action has been taken, is very good.