Parsi theatre

Last updated

Parsi theatre is a generic term for an influential theatre tradition, staged by Parsis, and theatre companies largely-owned by the Parsi business community, which flourished between 1850 and the 1930s. [1] Plays were primarily in the Hindustani language (especially the Urdu dialect), as well as Gujarati to an extent. After its beginning in Bombay, it soon developed into various travelling theatre companies, which toured across India, especially north and western India (now Gujarat and Maharashtra), popularizing proscenium-style theatre in regional languages. [2]

Entertainment-driven and incorporating musical theatre and folk theatre, in the early 1900s, some Parsi theatre producers switched to new media like bioscope and subsequently many became film producers. The theatre diminished in popularity, with the arrival of the talkies era in Hindi cinema in the 1930s. Post-independence, it experienced a revival in the 1950s, much like theatre in the rest of India. [3] [4]

Raghubir Yadav singing Parsi Theatre Style, Laila-Majanu song

]]==History== The British community in Bombay had been staging theatre in English language for sometime by the mid-19th century. Parsis were a prominent business community in the city. In early 1850s, the students of Elphinstone College in Mumbai had formed a dramatic society and started performing Shakespeare. [5] The first Parsi Theatre company called "Pārsī Nāṭak Maṇḍali" performed their first play Roostum Zabooli and Sohrab in 1853, followed by King Afrasiab and Rustom Pehlvan and Pādśāh Faredun. [6] By 1860 over 20 Parsi theatre groups were formed in Mumbai. [7]

Sharmistha Gooptu and Bhaumik identify Indo-Persian/Islamicate culture as a major influence on Parsi theatre. Up until the early 20th century, Urdu was the most widely used language in Parsi theater, due to the influence of Urdu poetry. The One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) also had a strong influence on Parsi theater, which performed "Persianate adventure-romances", which in turn were later adapted into early Bollywood films. [8]

The early plays in Parsi theatre presented Indianized versions of Shakespeare’s plays, by turning them into folk performances, with dozens of songs added in. Soon Indian legends, epic and mythological tales made an appearance as source material. As Parsi theatre companies started travelling across North India, they employed native writers to churn out scripts in Hindustani language, mix of Hindi and Urdu. [9]

Later Parsi plays "blended realism and fantasy, music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of melodrama". For mass appeal the plays incorporated humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and stagecraft. [10] The success of Parsi theatre lead to the development of theatre in regional languages notably modern Gujarati theatre, Marathi theatre and Hindi theatre. [11] Later it led to the development of Hindi cinema (Bollywood), the effect of Parsi theatre is still evident in the Masala film genre of Indian cinema, [12] [10] and especially in Bollywood film songs. [13] According to screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, Urdu Parsi theatre's ghazal, thumri and kajri traditions were the basis for Bollywood's filmi-ghazal, thumri and kajri styles of music. [14]

Parsi theatre was also popular in South-East Asia, where it was known as Wyang Parsi and often imitated. [15]

In 1981, Mumbai-based theatre director Nadira Babbar, started her theatre group Ekjute (Together), with the production of Yahudi Ki Ladki , which revived the Parsi theatre style, and is considered one of its finest. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindi cinema</span>

Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" and "Hollywood". The industry is a part of the larger Indian cinema, which also includes South Indian cinema and other smaller film industries. The term 'Bollywood', often mistakenly used to refer to Indian cinema as a whole, only refers to Hindi-language films, with Indian cinema being an umbrella term that includes all the film industries in the country, each offering films in diverse languages and styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musical film</span> Film genre

Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate "production numbers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javed Akhtar</span> Indian poet, lyricist and scriptwriter (born 1945)

Javed Akhtar is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaifi Azmi</span> Indian Urdu poet

Kaifi Azmi was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participated in many memorable Mushaira gatherings of the twentieth century. He was also a communist who wanted to see India one day become a socialist state. His wife was theatre and film actress Shaukat Kaifi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salim Khan</span> Indian actor and screenwriter (born 1935)

Salim Abdul Rashid Khan is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter. He wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. Khan is one half of the prolific screenwriting duo of Salim–Javed, along with Javed Akhtar. The duo were among the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status in Hindi cinema, and became one of the most successful Indian screenwriters of all time. While working together, Salim Khan was largely responsible for developing the stories and characters, whereas Javed Akhtar was largely responsible for developing the dialogues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Nisar Akhtar</span> Urdu author (1914–1976)

Jan Nisar Akhtar was an Indian poet of Urdu ghazals and nazms, and a part of the Progressive Writers' Movement, who was also a lyricist for Bollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salim–Javed</span> Popular Indian screen-writing duo

Salim–Javed were an Indian screenwriting duo, composed of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who worked primarily in Hindi cinema. They were among the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status, and are regarded as among "Hindi cinema's greatest screenwriters". They worked together on 24 films between 1971 and 1987, of which 20 were commercially and critically successful.

<i>Kranti</i> 1981 Indian film

Kranti (transl. Revolution) is a 1981 Indian historical drama film, produced, edited, dialogue and directed by Manoj Kumar, with the story and screenplay written by Salim–Javed. It stars an ensemble cast, consisting of Dilip Kumar in the title role along with Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi in pivotal roles. The film also marked the return of Dilip Kumar after a four-year hiatus. It ranks among the top 10 highest grossing Indian films of all time, when adjusted for ticket-price inflation. It was one of the most expensive Indian films of the time and it went on to become the highest grossing Indian film of the 1980s decade by a distance, when adjusted for inflation.

<i>Rekhta</i> Early term for the Hindustani language

Rekhta was an early form of the Hindustani language. This style evolved in both the Perso-Arabic and Devanagari scripts and is considered an early form of Modern Standard Urdu and Modern Standard Hindi. According to the Pakistani linguist and historian Tariq Rehman, Rekhta was a highly Persianized register of Hindustani, exclusively used by poets. It was not only the vocabulary that was Persianized, but also the poetic metaphors, inspired by Indian landscapes and seasons, were abandoned in favor of the Persian ones i.e. bahaar (spring) replacing barsaat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindi film music</span> Songs featuring in Hindi films

Hindi film songs, more formally known as Hindi Geet or filmi songs and informally known as Bollywood music, are songs featured in Hindi films. Derived from the song-and-dance routines common in Indian films, Bollywood songs, along with dance, are a characteristic motif of Hindi cinema which gives it enduring popular appeal, cultural value and context. Hindi film songs form a predominant component of Indian pop music, and derive their inspiration from both classical and modern sources. Hindi film songs are now firmly embedded in North India's popular culture and routinely encountered in North India in marketplaces, shops, during bus and train journeys and numerous other situations. Though Hindi films routinely contain many songs and some dance routines, they are not musicals in the Western theatrical sense; the music-song-dance aspect is an integral feature of the genre akin to plot, dialogue and other parameters.

Filmi qawwali is a form of qawwali music found in the Lollywood, Dhallywood, Tollywood, and Bollywood film industries.

The filmi-ghazal is a genre of filmi music based on ghazal poetry in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), used in Indian films, especially the music of Bollywood. The filmi-ghazals retain the couplet format and rhyme scheme similar to that in ghazals. However, instead of vocal or instrumental passages as interludes, the filmi-ghazal usually uses precomposed musical pieces.

<i>Betaab</i> 1983 Indian film

Betaab (Restless) is a 1983 Indian romance film written by Javed Akhtar, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Bikram Singh Dehal. The plot of the film was loosely based on William Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their debut roles along with Shammi Kapoor. The music was composed by Rahul Dev Burman. The opening of Betaab started in 1981 with the presence of Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Raj Kapoor, and Dharmendra. Before the release of Betaab, Sunny Deol also had a small role in the film Main Inteqam Loonga 1982 which his father Dharmendra was the hero of the film. Betaab was a commercial success and went on to be one of the biggest hits of the year, emerging as the 2nd highest grossing Indian film of 1983. The film was remade in Telugu as Samrat in 1987 with Ramesh Babu and in Kannada as Karthik in 2011 with Karthik Shetty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masala film</span> Film genre

Masala films of Indian cinema are those that blend multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still being created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely blend action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be musicals, often including songs filmed in picturesque locations.

<i>Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra</i> 1917 film by Rustomji Dhotiwala

Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra is a 1917 silent black and white Indian film based on Hindu mythology, directed by Rustomji Dhotiwala. It was produced by J. F. Madan's Elphinstone Bioscope. Credited as the first remake in Indian cinema, the film is a remake of the first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913) and was also inspired by an Urdu language drama, Harishchandra. The film is based on the mythological story of a Hindu King Harishchandra, the 36th king of the Solar Dynasty, who donated his entire kingdom and sold himself and his family to keep the promise given to the sage Vishvamitra in the dream. It is also the first feature film made in Calcutta. The intertitles used in the film were in Bengali language as the film was a silent film. The film was released on 24 March 1917 at New Tent Maidan, Calcutta.

Inder Raj Anand was an Indian film dialogue and screenwriter in Hindi cinema, who worked on many Raj Kapoor films, starting with Aag (1948), Aah (1953), Anari (1959) and Sangam (1963). While formally referred to as a writer for Hindi films, he was actually an Urdu writer, writing his scripts and dialogues in Urdu.

The East India Film Company was an Indian film production company, based in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. It was the first Indian film company to screen a movie at an international film festival. Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. L. Khemka, it went on to be a pioneer in producing films across the several regional film industries, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and Tamil, in the decade after its founding; till then, production companies were restricted regionally.

Mukhtar Begum was a Pakistani classical, ghazal singer and actress. She was known as The Queen of Music, Queen of Indian Talkie Music, Queen Songstress, The Queen of Parsi Theatre and Melody Queen of India for singing songs in films, theatre and on radio. She worked in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu films and was known for her roles in films Hathili Dulhan, Ali Baba 40 Chor, Nala Damayanti, Dil ki Pyas, Ankh ka Nasha, Muflis Ashiq and Chatra Bakavali.

References

  1. K, A (2004). Lal, Ananda (ed.). The Oxford companion to Indian theatre. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199861248. OCLC   607157336 via Oxford Reference.
  2. Nicholson, Rashna Darius (2021). The Colonial Public and the Parsi Stage: The Making of the Theatre of Empire (1853-1893). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1–2. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65836-6. ISBN   978-3-030-65835-9. S2CID   234113680.
  3. Kasbekar 2006, p. 50.
  4. Dalmia 2004, p. 60.
  5. Chandawarkar, Rahul (18 December 2011). "Understanding 20th century Parsi theatre". Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  6. "Nicholson 2015, p. 617". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 38: 613–638. doi:10.1080/00856401.2015.1080211. S2CID   146409840.
  7. Palsetia 2001, p. 184.
  8. Gooptu, Sharmistha (2010). Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'. Routledge. p. 38. ISBN   9781136912177.
  9. Hansen, p. 75
  10. 1 2 K. Moti Gokulsing, K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 98.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Hochman 1984, p. 38.
  12. Joughin 1997, p. 129.
  13. Mehta, Rini Bhattacharya; Pandharipande, Rajeshwari (2010). Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora. Anthem Press. p. 36. ISBN   978-1-84331-833-0.
  14. Kabir, Nasreen Munni; Akhtar, Javed (2018). Talking Films and Songs: Javed Akhtar in conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir. Oxford University Press. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-19-909177-5.
  15. Meddegoda, Chinthaka Prageeth; Jähnichen, Gisa (23 September 2016). Hindustani Traces in Malay Ghazal: 'A song, so old and yet still famous'. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN   9781443899987.
  16. "Indian theatre at the crossroads". The Tribune. 25 June 2000. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

Bibliography