The Ashok, Diplomatic Enclave, 50b Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
New Delhi, Delhi 110021

PIERROT’S TROUPE Presents

GHALIB
Nov. 2 (Sun.), 7.00 pm, ASHOK THEATRE, Ashok Hotel,
Chankyapuri, New Delhi
Script and Direction: Dr. M. Sayeed Alam
Cast – Tom Alter, Niti Phool, Vijay Gupta, Anju Chabbra etc.
Duration- 1.45 hrs

This play is all about 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 the 70 year old Ghalib
(Tom Alter) narrating the memoirs of his life to his first biographer Maulana Altaf Hussein Hali.

Ghalib in his inimitable style laced with humor and satire talks about 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 -- Mir Taqi Mir, Nazeer Akbarabadi, Zauq, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Agha Jaan Aish, Zauq, Hali, Daagh, Har Gopal Tafta, Munshi Shiv Narain, Sir Ross, Thompson, Col. Brown, etc.

In the process, he dispels myths about his rivalry with Zauq; about his love for wine (and women), about his role in 1857, 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 unheard so far.

The play is a Pierrot’s Troupe production--- the theater company credited with re-discovering the genre of ‘bio (graphical) drama’: Maulana Azad, K.L.Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Ghalib in New Delhi, etc.

Tickets: Rs. 250/- available at ASHOK THEATRE on the day of show (11 am to 7 pm). For details, Tele Booking, Bulk Booking Contact: 9810255291, 9810460366, 011-40506826, 011-29944635, [email protected],[email protected]/OR www.bookmyshow.com and/or call 39895050. Also visit our website www.pierrotstheatre.com

Official Website: http://pierrotstyheatre.com

Added by Dr M Sayeed Alam on September 17, 2008