Inside Tihar, Farooqui trains inmates to put up stage productions

A hard-hitting theatre production, 'Court Martial', developed by the inmates of Tihar jail made its debut this Diwali. The play, performed during the Diwali mela, was a fondly-remembered show, not only because it was a Tihar production, but also because everyone involved with it was doing it for the first time, barring one man – Mahmood Farooqui.
Farooqui, the Peepli Live co-director who is serving his seven years jail term in Tihar, has been training the inmates for various plays for over two months.In this duration, he has directed three plays – Nasha, Ramayan and Court Martial. The jail authorities are so impressed with the work of Farooqui’s theatre group that now they are planning to take the plays beyond bars, to the public.
Inmates are showing interest in theatre
The idea of a theatre production inside a prison seems distant, but the inmates made it a reality with their hard work, say jail officials. Sudhir Yadav, DG (Prisons), tells us, "During one of my jail visits, I met Mahmood Farooqui and asked him to direct plays for us. I said, ‘While you are here, let’s make use of your time, direct some plays, prepare a team of people who can do stage production and form a theatre group within the jail premises.’ He liked the idea and gave me a list of items which were required for the stage production and we provided them. We will be funding all the drama projects."
After Farooqui got the script approved, he auditioned the inmates and everyone was given a role on the basis of the audition. The first play that Farooqui directed in the jail was Nasha, based on the story by Premchand. The play was staged in September as part of a cultural evening during a conference of the DG Prisons o of all the states. Yadav says, "It was a remarkable play and the story was also something that the inmates could relate to. After Nasha, Farooqui came up with the idea of directing Court Martial. He had sent us the proposal and after going through the script, we approved it.” He adds, “For the inmates, performing on stage is a way to regain self-dignity."
The plot of 'Court Martial' is about how respect is denied to a man because he is from a lower caste and as the story develops, the murderer becomes a winner. While preparing for 'Court Martial', Farooqui also directed a play on the Ramayan during Dussehra.
Mahmood Farooqui
A play on Tihar inmates’ experiences
Another play exploring the lives of prisoners is being prepared by a theatre director Lokesh Jain. The officials told us that he has been interviewing inmates and he will write a script which will either be a story on the lives of the inmates or some experience from their lives. The Tihar stage production will be expanded, and this time, rather than inviting other groups to conduct workshops, it’s ‘in-house talent’ which will be utilised.
LSR’s dramatic society members to train female inmates
To train female inmates, a group of students from Lady Shri Ram College will be visiting the jail under their NSS programme to conduct workshops on dance, theatre and other skills. Members of the Dramatics Society of the college will conduct the workshop in the jail for three months. Shambhavi Diggi, a student of LSR who is part of the theatre group, told us, "We will begin with the basic exercises, and then depending upon their interests, we will train them. Right now, we don’t know that what they would be interested in. But if they show interest, we will a prepare play with them."
Officials say about 500 Tihar inmates watched 'Court Martial' on Diwali mela, and the play will be taken to other jails now
Tihar inmates to perform at IHC?
To prepare, the inmates read plays and listen to the instructions carefully. Jail officials told us that the inmates have shared their experiences and they enjoy being a part of such production because it makes them feel normal. Yadav said, "More than 500 inmates watched Court Martial together and even complimented the actors for their work, the happiness was almost tangible. And that’s why we have decided that we will take the play to different jails of Tihar."
In fact, the performances won’t be limited only to Tihar prisons. The administration has plans to take the play to public space.What do they mean by public space?
The DG said, "We will take the play to different auditoriums like IHC and other places where the general public can also see their talent. But this will be done only after they are able to perform without any errors. They will take some time to polish their skills."