A musical evening for the Nawab of Lucknow

Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who is known to return to his Lucknow roots for his creative pursuits, is now channeling the legacy of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Oudh, to organise a musical event in the city.
It all began with a mushaira on Wajid Ali Shah on Sunday, at the Safed Baradari in Lucknow. The tribute to the Nawab will extend to a two-day event on December 21 and 22, which includes a ghazal and thumri programme featuring singer Shubha Mudgal; a heritage walk beginning tentatively from the Saadat Ali tomb in Qaiserbagh, to the Chhatar Manzil and the Gomti river behind it; and a play titled Gomti by Muzaffar Ali.
Telling us more about the event, Ali said, “ Wajid Ali Shah was perhaps the only Oudh ruler who promoted Lakhnawi culture in such a big way. He was a very learned man himself and was well versed in dance and poetry. Thus, this event was planned as a tribute to the Nawab. It’s just a small effort to showcase the talent and the pathos of the person. The play Gomti that I will be staging is a lot about that. It’s actually a poem written by Rahi saab, but we have adapted it into a dance drama. It’s the tale of a city as witnessed by the river.”
At the recently concluded Lucknow Literature Carnival, Ali had expressed concern about the lack of youth participation in the event itself and also how the films of this era are disconnected with history. Elaborating on it, Ali said, “The youth today believes in taking life easy. They believe in instant gratification. Unko azaadi ki pehli jung aur Wajid Ali Shah ki baatein kahaaniyan lagti hain. So, the focus of the youth has to be put in the right place, first. They have to see the bigger picture. They have to see cinema not just as a means of entertainment. You have to look for a revolution as far as cinema is concerned. And I can lead the youth to it, but the point is the youth has to be ready for it.”
He further adds, “I agree that we no longer have films which tell the youth what happened in our country in say, 1857 or even 1947. In the recent past we have seen Aamir Khan’s film Mangal Pandey: The Rising. It was a caricature! It took money, it took effort yet it all went waste. It was a waste of a step. Film ko chalane ke liye uski kahani hi badal daali. That’s why the film flopped so miserably. So, as filmmakers we also have to be careful while making such films, so that the story remains what it actually was. But the crux of the matter remains finances. It’s not as if people don’t want to make such films. They do, but the point is, is anyone ready to invest their money in it? Also, koi hero usko poochhta nahi hai. They don’t want to step down from their positions and do a film based on history. Look at Sudhir Mishra. He has a story ready but no buyers for it. I too have many ideas but no means to fulfill them. Isliye we don’t see such films being made these days.”
From Begum Akhtar, Aamir Khusrau and Majaaz, to Wajid Ali Shah now, Ali has brought works of several poets from this region to life. Has he any such plans for Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir, whose grave lies in utter neglect in the city? “Dheere-dheere koshish zari hai. I have made 14 films on Urdu poets. Unme se ek Mir saab pe bhi hai,” replied the filmmaker.