Manto's romantic stories adapted for Agra stage

Based on the stories of Saadat Hasan Manto, a play titled, 'Arey Bhai Manto', was recently staged at Sursadan. Directed by Garima Mishra, the play, a collection of three stories – 'Peeran', 'Shaida' and 'Mehmooda' – by Manto, emphasised on the simple mentality of people who had fallen in love. The usage of Urdu poetry by Faiz, Rahat Indori and Ibn-e-Insha helped in connecting the three stories.Dimpy Mishra, convenor of the play, said, "We chose the stories that talked about love as we wanted people to see the other side – romantic side – of Manto. The costumes of all the characters and the set was deliberately kept black and white as characters from Manto's story need not be identified by their costumes. Also, we wanted to recreate the bygone era which is done best in monochrome."

A scene from Arey Bhai Manto
Rashmi Sharma, an audience member, said, "I just loved the way they connected the three stories with the beautiful ghazal by Faiz, 'Chand Hai Roz, Iss Basti Ke Kooche Mein' by Insha and 'Uski Kaththai Aankhon Mein Hai' by Rahat Indori. The entire set-up in black and white took me to the era that hold a special place in my heart."


Romance is in the air
Ramesh Agarwal, another attendee and resident of Kamla Nagar, said, "It's the third time I am attending a play at Sursadan and I must say that the theatre scene in Agra has improved significantly. We are witnessing world-class plays, which are being staged at national and international platforms, which is a good thing for all the theatre lovers of the city."
A scene from the play
Mushy affair

-Jyoti.Kanyal@timesgroup.com