By giving the world a peek into Indian culture and tradition through his world-class theatre, Mohammed Ali Baig is simply following his heart and passion
Aworld premiere of his 1857: Turrebaz Khan and a week-long run of Quli: Dilo ka Shahzaada, exclusively at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe 2016
However, world-renowned artist and youngest Padmashri awardee Mohammed Ali Baig says, “I never wanted to be in theatre in the first place.”
Owing to the Bentleys and Jaguars parked neatly in his palatial residence, he could be a business man, a car manufacturer, even. Or an ice skater, an acrobat or a balladeer in the deserts of Rajasthan, he muses, in a candid chat.
Deeply spiritual and a firm believer of destiny, Baig brings a unique twin-honour, probably the first-ever, for an original Indian playwright-director-actor. He has succeeded in putting India on the world stage for his stellar theatrical performances. Baig’s new production premieres at The Edinburgh International Festival Fringe 2016, in August. The gritty play is based on the life of a 19th Century revolutionary soldier in the Deccan, Turrebaz Khan, who rebelled against the British and their allies, the Nizams. It is a gripping drama set in the last few hours spent with his captor who is, in fact, a slave to the very system that Khan is fighting against. Although Baig’s productions typically have a historical or a heritage theme, they are always contemporary and globally relevant, and this is one of the reasons why they are such a hit internationally.
India’s youngest Padma awardee in theatre and the winner of multiple global honours in Canada, France, London, Turkey, and the US, Baig is celebrated for his productions such as Taramati: The legend of an artiste, Resham ki Dor, Pankhdiyaan and more recently, Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada, Savaan-e- Hayat and Spaces.
Baig has earlier directed on stage, too, and performed along with stalwarts such as Anupam Kher (in Pankhdiyaan), Shabana Azmi (in Kaifiyat), late Farooq Shaikh (in Aaina), Lillette Dubey (in Dada Saheb Phalke), Suhasini Maniratnam (in Reading Between the Lines) and others in his own productions.
His twin honour reciepient, Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada has been highlighted in the Chicago Tribune as “Phenomenal. Mesmerizing!” The Asia Times, USA, hailed it as “The Indian masterpiece stole the thunder with explosive performances by lead actors, drew huge crowds in the US.”
Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada is based on the historical love-legend of the founder of the city of Hyderabad, poet-prince Quli Qutub Shah and his danseuse, the beloved Bhagmati. Universal and timeless in its appeal, it is a touching tale of two mutually respecting artistes whose soulful love overcomes political and cultural barriers. With a blend of fine art, Indian classical and shadow dances, period sets, costumes and verses written by King Quli Qutub
Mohammed Ali Baig was born into theatre but brought up under strict Asaf Jahi court etiquettes; so much so that even on a Sunday morning, his two brothers and he could not enter the dining hall in their lounge wear. It was a fairytale childhood where white ponies and dark mares replacing Lego’s and building blocks. Ahmed Bowla Bagh Palace, where he was born, is located on the outskirts of the city. “There was more emphasis on tehzeeb than on academic qualifications. To grow up with a legendary polo player as my grandfather, a theatre doyen as a father and three generations of grandmothers was inspiring, to say the least.”
After working for almost a decade in Odyssey, Bangalore, Baig returned to Hyderabad in 2004 on his father 20th anniversary to head the Foundation set up in his name by the I&PR Ministry and the Arts and Theatre fraternity of the country. His coming back to theatre was a two-way assimilation. While he used the inherent aesthetics and discipline of theatre into his ad films, he incorporated the glitz and communication methodology of the ad world into his theatre productions. “Odyssey exposed me to the outside world from a sheltered cocoon in Hyderabad to Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangkok, and Singapore. It transformed me from a trainee to a director, and a veteran of over a hundred advertising films.”
The annual Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival that he curates over a span of 10 days, gets a congregation of 200 artistes from various cities across the world and is today, one of the four most significant theatre festivals in the country.
“It’s really fulfilling when I perform original Indian theatre around the world in a language that’s my own, retaining the culture and heritage I was born into.”
The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation is not just a son’s tribute to his father. It heralds a plethora of drama, emotion and has a rich historical legacy that has helped put Hyderabad on the international arena for theatre. The one thing that Baig enjoys most about his career is that it brings him closer to Baba, his father. He feels him wrapped around like a breeze in the echoes of the standing ovations. “That propels me to carry on a legacy. That I am immersed with the love and adulation of such a large audience and fan following.”
Shah himself, the play transports the audience back in time to the 17th century Indian kingdom of Golconda through a philosophical tale of true love.
The celebrated spectacle about the love legend of Hyderabad’s poet-prince Quli Qutub Shah made history when it had a run of six international arts festivals around the world in the very first year of its perception. Baig co-wrote the script with his wife Noor Baig.
Blushing slightly at the mention of his real life love, Baig goes on to say that he first met his wife at the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad where she was coordinating the Australian Government’s Oz Fest. “When Ammi (mother) and I were received by her at the clock tower entrance, both of us were swept off our feet by this charming girl from Chennai clad in a turquoise anarkali and complementing jewellery. At the end of the evening, I had asked her out for coffee and very much like a well-brought up Indian girl, she didn’t respond. She flew back to Chennai the next morning and texted an apology along with a link to her blog. That was the first time I read someone’s blog and was very impressed by the maturity in her writing and her ease with words.”
He says the creating Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada with his wife made him realise they had so much in common. “Rarely do you meet a person whose thoughts are so similar that she completes your words before you finish your sentence. Our fondness for world cuisine, Mediterranean music and quest for Sufism bind it further. We got married at the same Darbar Hall at the Falaknuma Palace where we first met. People always feel that we are the quintessential Quli and Bhagmati!”. The wide smile on his face along with the pink in his cheeks says it all.