Hyderabad thespian first Indian to get Oxford University invite

HYDERABAD: Mohammad Ali Baig, Hyderabadi

theatre

revivalist, has become the

first Indian

playwright-actor-director to be invited to University of

Oxford

to hold a three day event from November 16-18. It would include showcasing of his autobiographical play, Under an Oaktree, a theatre workshop and a talk.


Under an Oaktree is based on his childhood recollections of being born into theatre, the burden of his father, acclaimed playwright Qadir Ali Baig’s legacy, his foray into world of advertisement and eventual return to the stage.

When asked what is it that makes his plays relevant in an era of smartphones and short attention span, given that they are set in a different era, Baig said, “I contemporize my plays, so that the audience, comprising people of different ages and hailing from different walks of life, can relate to their nuances.”

Given that Baig has collaborated with French and Polish theatre stalwarts and been exposed to Israeli and Turkish theatre, he says the theatre scenario in Hyderabad needs more professionalism and better organisation.

“While it is laudable that theatre groups are trying to keep the art alive by adapting old plays and being inspired by Western writers, it is necessary that more original plays are written,” he said.

He advised, “The audience should never be taken for granted. They must be respected for the time they have taken out of their busy schedule to come to the venue and watch the play. This must always be kept in the mind.”

He also said that it was worth pondering why people spent hundreds of rupees at a multiplex to watch a movie but think twice before watching a play. “Proximity breeds contempt,” he says. While the likes of Salman Khan and SRK are out of reach, in theatre once the play is over one can walk into the green room and shake hands with the actors.

Baig says, every stakeholder in society has to bring theatre into the mainstream. ‘News’ about theatre has to be carried along with other news and not relegated to the listings’ column only.

He says that the Qadir Ali Theatre Foundation has been collaborating with international theatre groups and stages two plays every month.