Aaj Rang Hai

Director: Gopal Tiwari and Purva Naresh Duration: 120 minutes Cast: Prerna Chawla, Prerna Chawla, Ratna Bali and others Language: HindustaniRating: 3AajHaiHindustanBenimohallaneighbourPhuphiriyazBeniHazratKhusrow13-14thIt is through the play that we get to discover Khusrow, someone whom most of us know nothing about. The father of qawwali, he brought the ghazal style of songs to India and was the inventor of the Indian musical instruments sitar and tabla. Coming to performances, despite being an ensemble cast, every character has been etched out well and they will stay with you long after the play. Trishla Patel essays her Beni as strict and wise, and is complemented beautifully by Ratnabali Bhattacharjee’s prejudiced Phuphi. Their fun repartees provide humour to the story. Prerna Chawla and Nishi Doshi who play Vidya and Ameena respectively, light up the stage as adorable young girls with a naughty streak, while Imraan Rasheed as Munnu mama will make you nostalgic of the Bollywood comedians of yesteryear. The strength of the play lies in its writing. And it’s not just the script, but the many songs, which are an integral part of the narrative. Written by Purva Naresh and Vijay Naresh, the compositions are soulful and come alive thanks to the many talented singers. You will want to hum along, even if you don’t know the lyrics! There are a few kathak sequences thrown in between, which though well-performed, seem a little displaced in the story. Aaj Rang Hai is a delightful juxtaposing of Khusrow’s Sufism and the problems of contemporary society. It catapults you into another era...