Theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan is no stranger to adaptation. In fact, much of his oeuvre is anchored in it. Most notably, the grand and celebrated Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical from 2016, is, after all, an adaptation of an adaptation. It was inspired by the film Mughal-e-Azam (1960), which in turn drew its ideas from Imtiaz Ali Taj’s play Anarkali (1922).
Khan’s quieter yet arguably more poignant Tumhari Amrita (1992) was based on AR Gurney’s Pulitzer-nominated Love Letters while Salesman Ramlal (1997) takes root in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Khan is as much a consumer of art as he is a creator – he watches, reads, absorbs stories, and then gives them back to the world, refined and transformed.
This impulse comes through wonderfully in his newest play, Hind 1957. Inspired by August Wilson’s 1985 play Fences, the production reflects the director’s immense faith in the written word to shape narrative and emotion.
Tumhari Amrita, for instance, conveys an entire love story of 35 years only through letters exchanged between two characters. Letters of Suresh achieves similar emotional heft with letters between four characters.
In Hind 1957, it is poetry that forms the bridge between the past and present, between Wilson’s story and Khan’s imagined world. The narrative is punctuated with shayaris – reflective snippets of verse that breathe fresh life into Wilson’s text. They also accentuate a distinctively Indian perspective within Wilson’s universal themes.
In this interview, Khan reflects on the process of adapting Fences for the Indian stage, the socio-political realities of post-Partition India, and why Hind 1957 remains a vital story for contemporary audiences.
August Wilson’s Fences is deeply rooted in the African-American experience. What about its themes, characters, or writing lend itself to a Hindustani version?
Fences is a classic and the story, though rooted in a particular American milieu with its peculiar socio-political context, is also universal in its exploration of deep-seated prejudice that is handed over generations.
The conflict within the family that is coming to grips with the despondency of the patriarch and the aspirations of his sons resonates across geography and cultures.
How has the theme of race been reimagined or recontextualised in Hind 1957 to connect with the socio-political realities of 1950s India (particularly for Muslims)?
The play deals with post-Independence, post-Partitioned Muslims in India who had rejected the two-nation theory and put their faith in a constitutional democracy that treated all its citizens equally and included everyone. However, they confronted prejudice, suspicion and discrimination. Their loyalty to the country was questioned.
In 1957, Sahir Ludhyanvi wrote those seminal lines for the classic film Pyaasa, “Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahan hai”, (Those who take pride in India, where are they?), lamenting the failure of the state and society to live up to the ideals it promised. It is in these tumultuous times the play is set.
In what ways have you steered away from the original text and in what ways have you stayed true to it?
In essence and spirit, it’s the same as the original play but it had to be Indianised to make it relatable and the text reflects this transition. The poetry is very specific to this version.
Fences debuted almost four decades ago. Why did you feel this story would be relevant and necessary to tell now, particularly to an Indian audience?
Classics don’t age, they only become more relevant with time. The play addresses contemporary concerns and argues with a persuasive yet soft voice. It cries out for justice and harmony.
Your previous works, like Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical, were grand and cinematic, while Tumhari Amrita or the more recent Letters of Suresh were intimate and minimalistic. Where does Hind 1957 fall on this spectrum in terms of tone and scale? What kind of emotional atmosphere are you creating for your characters and audiences with it?
This is an intense drama written in the style of Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neil, or Arthur Miller, brilliantly structured, deeply felt, complex characters, socially concerned, told through a family. It is right in the middle, presented in detailed realism.
Abhishek Shukla’s poetry was used throughout the play as shayaris by Tabrez and Latif? Why did you decide to have Tabrez be a poet instead of a sportsperson like Troy in Fences? What about the poetic form, or perhaps Shukla’s poems, worked in tandem with the play?
Since the play resides in India of that time, I found Tabrez as a poet more relevant, poignant, allowing us to use metaphors that affect the audience emotionally and stirs intellectually. Abhishek Shukla’s poetry has elevated the play.
The central character is the domineering, Troy Maxson. What was it like to rebuild this patriarch with Sachin Khedekar. How did you both arrive at a “man of the house” that felt true to both Maxson as well as the archetypal Indian family patriarch?
Patriarchy is almost universal in its behaviour and consequences. We worked a lot on his domineering tones, body language, erratic moods and ability to belittle others in the family while being the sole provider of the family and hugely compassionate. Sachin imbibed these complexities through intense rehearsals, hard work, and immense talent.
Why are adaptations appealing to you? Instead of working with a new script, what was it about a play that was written so many years ago that felt tempting to adapt, reproduce and reinterpret?
It has been a mix of original and adaptations. Playwriting in Hindi is very scarce because Cinema, Television and now OTT provide employment on a regular basis and good writers are also getting their due share in credits and remuneration.
Hindi theatre barely survives economically, and performances are staged briefly so there is no incentive to write original plays that live up to high standards.
Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical is coming back to the stage in January next year and is scheduled to run for three weeks at NMACC. What has preperation been like for you and the cast?
It’s been almost a year since we last performed and the excitement is very high. Kirti Kiledar, the new Anarkali, will debut while our original Anarkali’s Priyanka Barwe, Neha Sargam will continue to light up the stage with their singing and performances.
Hind 1957 will be performed at the The Studio Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai, from January 2-5.
Zara Flavia Dmello is a writer from Mumbai covering media, culture, politics, lifestyle, and the business of luxury. She is currently developing an archive to document the life and work of her grandmother Flavia Agnes, an activist-lawyer in the Indian women’s movement.
