Winter theatre fest kicks off with 'relevant' Aurangzeb

NEW DELHI: An ageing emperor's obsessive "khwab" of building a black Taj Mahal despite a dwindling exchequer and his son's dream of 'one nation, one language, one religion' was the subject of 'Aurangzeb' staged on the first day of the Winter Theatre Festival by The Times of India.
Written by Sahitya Akademi awardee Indira Parthasarthy, the play begins with the war of succession in 1657 between the two main contenders for Shahjahan's throne, Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb, soon after he falls ill.The ensuing tussle raises many questions --is Aurangzeb really the Machiavellian character he's made out to be? Was he a victim of circumstances, wronged by history? The play throws up many facets- a young child deprived of his father's love, a prince who is passionate about his religion unlike his arch-rival Dara who dreams of following his forebear Akbar's footsteps with a pluralistic society.
Talking about the play written in 1974, "at a time when Indira Gandhi was becoming more and more dictatorial", the Chennai-based Parthasarthy says it was the right time to tackle a subject like Aurangzeb.
Calling 'Aurangzeb' a psychological study, director K S Rajendran says that by exploring the internal conflicts of the characters, the play catches the audience's attention at different levels - "not just the struggle between Shahjahan and Aurangzeb, or Dara and Aurangzeb, but also between the princesses Jehanara and Roshanara, and, most importantly, between Aurangzeb and his inner self."
As the play draws to a close, Aurangzeb, a sad, pathetic shadow of his former self, struggles to wipe his hands clean - much like Lady Macbeth - of his brothers' blood. Sitting next to the grand peacock throne, and not on it, Aurangzeb wonders whether his dream of "ek mulk, ek zubaan, ek mazhab" has been achieved?
Written originally in Tamil, 'Aurangzeb' was translated into Urdu by Shahid Anwar. "Although the play is equally powerful in Tamil, which is my mother tongue, Urdu was the language of the Mughals and helps bring out the nuances of the different characters," says Rajendran, an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Interestingly, actor Raj Babbar essayed the title role in the play's first performance in 1976.
"Despite being written almost 40 years ago, 'Aurangzeb' continues to be relevant even today as it holds a mirror up to society," says the director. "Many look on it as an attack on right-wingers as they feel the play drives home the point that any government can become fundamentalist."
The Winter Theatre Festival is on till Dec 27 at Shri Ram Centre, Mandi House