Kathputliyan theatre presents a comedy this weekend. Titled Shaadi Ki Kirkiri, “It is a humorous take on yesteryear’s Nawabi families struggling to retain their glory in modern day Hyderabad. The play revolves around Sartaj Jehan Begum, a mother who is on a mission to get her son married to a khandani girl,” reveals Zafer Mohiuddin, who has directed the play.
“It will keep you laughing and also has Hyderabadi Dakhani humour,” assures the man.
He then adds that “The play is based on the book Marry Go Round by Sadiqa Peerbhoy. I translated it into Hindi.” According to Zafer, “doing a comedy is tough as timing is important and the artiste has to be really good to emote at the right time. There are no retakes on stage.”
Another challenge he faces in theatre is, “some artistes get bored doing repeat shows and some just quit after a while. Then we have to look for another actor, train him with the diction and have umpteen rehearsals.”
According to him, “Hindi plays have caught up in the last five to six years as the crowd in the city has become more cosmopolitan. We also have non-Hindi speaking artistes, who want to be a part of a Hindi theatre group.”
Zafer, an architect by profession, is also an Urdu and Hindi playwright, who got hooked to theatre in the 70s. “I started off with English, Hindi and Kannada plays, but off late, I am focussing on Hindi theatre.”
Soon, he started the Kathputliyaan Theatre Group. An actor himself, Zafer is also a popular voice over artiste and is known for his baritone voice.
Kathputliyan Theatre’s Shaadi Ki Kirkiri will be staged at Chowdiah Memoriah Hall on April 5 and Alliance Francaise on April 13 and 14.
Tickets, priced at ₹300, ₹500 and ₹750, are available on bookmyshow.com