GHALIB (*ing TOM ALTER & Others) July 25, 2010

GHALIB (*ing TOM ALTER, Niti Phool, Hareesh Chhabra & 15 Others)
Duration- 1.45 hrs
JULY 25 (Sun), 7:30 pm,

Shri Ram Centre, 4, Safdar Hashmi Marg, Near Mandi House, New Delhi

Script and Direction: Dr. M. Sayeed Alam

Cast – Tom Alter, Hareesh Chhabbra, Niti Phool, Anil George, Anju Chabbra, Ram Naresh Diwakar, Yashpal Malik, Shakeel, Ahmad Omair, Pradeep Singh, Rahul Sharma, Surabhi Pandey, Ekant Kaul, Kiran Pandey, Pankaj, M Sayeed Alam, Shireen, Smirit, Elnaaz etc.

This immensely popular play is a lively, entertaining and educative account of an intriguing man named .Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib -- a master yet a rundown poet, a privileged yet a pitiable elite, an extravagant yet a poor noble, a devout yet a self effacing lover, an irreverent yet a pious husband and a self-seeking yet an altruistic person.

This is what one comes across while watching in the play the 70 year old Ghalib (played by Tom Alter) narrating the memoirs of his life to his first biographer Maulana Altaf Hussein Hali. He in his inimitable style, laced with humor and satire, takes Hali and audiences to an array of scenes depicting Ghalib the (talented) child; Ghalib the (carefree) young man; Ghalib the (mature) middle aged: His wife (Umrao Begum), a God fearing lady wedded to man who dared God: His family that got reduced to two from seven in a very short span of time: His deranged brother, shot dead as a rebel by Britons in 1857: His devout servants, twenty one in total: His lady love (Mughol Jan), who committed suicide: His futile attempts to secure a dignified position in Mughol Darbar, and also the professorship in Delhi College (now Zakir Hussain College): His contemporaries – virtually a long list – From Mir Taqi Mir to Momin and from Sir Ross to Col. Brown etc. In the process, he dispels myths about his rivalry with Ustad Zauq; about his love for wine (and women), about his role in the first war of independence etc. (Unfortunately, these myths still persist).At the core of the play are Ghalib’s Ghazals (recited, sung and performed); including a good number of them hitherto unheard.

Last but not the least, the play is a Pierrot’s Troupe production--- the theater company credited with successfully re-discovering the genre of ‘bio (graphical) drama’: Maulana Azad, K.L.Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Ghalib in New Delhi etc.

R E M A R K S

Ghalib is indeed a path breaking play. -- The Hindu:

An opportunity to understand Ghalib through a play on him. -- Metro Plus (The Hindu)

Sayeed Aam’s most-awaited play – India Today (Hindi)

An attempt to revive the fading memory of a stalwart – India Today (English)

Pierrot’s Troupe burns the circuit with a play on the literary legend that was Mirza Ghalib – Times of India

Tom Alter is now playing Ghalib…he has come a long way -- Mail Today

Tickets: Rs. 500/-, Rs 300/-, Rs 200/- & Rs 100/- available at SHRI RAM CENTRE on the day of the show. For details, Tele Booking, Bulk Booking Contact: 9810255291, 9810460366,, 40506826, 29944635, [email protected], AND/OR http://www.bookmyshow.com/plays.aspx and/or call 39895050 Visit us at www.pierrotstheatre

Official Website: http://www.pierrotstheatre.com