In Mumbai, Gen Now pays tribute to nine women veterans of theatre

It was curtains up to a beautiful evening at the Tata Theatre, NCPA on Wednesday, as lovers of the stage came together in celebration of World

Theatre

Day. The occasion was also special as it honoured not just the tradition of theatre, but also its veteran woman artistes. Dr. Vijaya Mehta, Shanta Gokhale, Sulabha Arya, Nadira Zaheer Babbar, Ruby Patel,

Sarita Joshi

, Dolly Thakore,

Sabira Merchant

and Rohini Hattangadi were felicitated for their immense contribution to theatre and for their influence on so many generations.

'Yeh voh jwalaayein hain, jo shola bhi hai, aag bhi hai aur baarish bhi hai’

Well-deserved applause welcomed these ladies to the stage

Well-deserved applause welcomed these ladies to the stage
The veteran artistes were invited on stage once the function began.

Rajit Kapur

said, “These nine jewels have paved the way for all of us and have given their life to theatre. Yeh voh jwalaayein hain, jo shola bhi hai, aag bhi hai aur baarish bhi hai. Inki roshni sey hum aaj rangmanch mein judey huey hain, aaj bhi chamak rahe hain. We honour and salute them.” The ladies shared their journey, talked about what drives their craft and the love they have received. Sarita Joshi said, “Shuruaat hui thhi Kanhaiyalal Munshi, Adi Marzban, Pravin Joshi sey. Theatre sey hum sar utha ke jiye.”

Well-deserved applause welcomed these ladies to the stage
Sabira Merchant reminisced her own memorable moments on stage. “During the very first play I acted in, way back in 1964, here I was, coming down a rope ladder and thinking, ‘What am I doing here? I should be tucking my kids away in bed! But I was in front of the audience swaying around; it was an unforgettable moment,” she said.

Sulabha Arya chats with a friend as Rohini Hattangadi looks on

Added Rohini Hattangadi, “Being here with Vijaya bai is an honour for me because my father acted with her in 1955 in the first play, which she directed called ‘Shrimant’. Well, that’s how she used to call me — Anantraoanchi mulgi. Now, my son is acting with her daughter and the cycle continues.” Nadira Zaheer Babbar recalled her way to the stage, “Padhna mujhe pasand nahi thha. My father knew Mr

Ebrahim Alkazi

from whom I learnt everything in life. I’ve now completed 50 years of theatre,” she said, to much applause.


Shenanigans and on-stage fun

Artistes perform The Bells Strike Three

If artistes, an eager audience and an exciting itinerary are in place, can the fun be far behind? That was also what was in store for the evening actioned by film and theater actor Rajit Kapur, Shernaz Patel and Rahul daCunha in collaboration with the NCPA. The show started with the rendition of Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan by a group of singers, followed by All the World’s A Stage by none other than Gerson daCunha. An interesting performance directed by Faezeh Jalali — The Bells Strike Three found huge applause. The audience was also in splits with the comic Bawaji Backstage, with Darius Shroff, Danesh Irani, Danesh Khambata and Pheroza Modi.

Actors from Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan
If you like experimental theatre, then watching Kunaal Roy Kapoor and

Zafar Karachiwala

in Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s Very Experimental was a treat! It was also chuckle-worthy fun to see Bollywood actress Sonali Kulkarni play a hassled individual, trying to find her sense of peace, ironically, on a yoga mat! Actors Jim Sarbh, Mansi Multani and Shruti Vyas had some bang-on comedy timing in A Round of Applause.

The evening also paid tribute to the unsung heroes of theatre who have been silently working behind the scenes — drama teacher Aloo Heerjibehedin, set designer
Paresh Daru, light technician Krishna Waradkar, production controller Ayaz Ansari and audience member Florence Hallegua. All in all, a fitting end to an evening dedicated to all things theatre!