Fusing dance and dialogue, music and romance, humour and melodrama, this travelling folk theatre was a precursor to Bollywood. In cities and villages, people watched all night, drawn into a world of fantasy and make-believe.
When 12-year-old Gulab joined the nautanki in 1931, she became the first female performer of this art. Over the years Gulab Bai's fame spread all over India. The nautanki was north India's most popular form of entertainment and it wasn't long before Gulab Bai was considered the epitome of wit and wisdom, and she was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition of all that she did for Nautanki.
While Gulab catered to the masses, at the other end of the spectrum, Beni Bai catered to the elite, with the more refined baithak style. Even though they propounded a similar art form, their lifestyles and audiences differed, and somehow, within the unavoidable rivalry, a mutual respect existed.
These two women ruled the minds and hearts of a nation for years. Yet they died sad and disillusioned women when they saw their art languishing with the onslaught of cinema.
But theirs is a fascinating tale of emancipation in a society that did not respect its women, of intrigue and the freedom to choose when many suffered silently. Theirs is a tale of Queens, in the time of Kings.
Directed by Akarsh Khurana, the play intersperses drama with folk dance, Kathak and live singing. The Kathak portions are choreographed by Purva Naresh, who has also written the script. Purva is a highly trained award winning danseuse, with 15 years of training in Lucknow Gharana Kathak, under the tutelage of Rani Khanum, Uma Dogra and Pandit Birju Maharaj's chief disciple and nephew, Ram Mohan Maharaj. She is empanelled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and has performed in all major festivals in India and Suriname.
The cast has been trained professionally in the art of nautanki by an expert from Lucknow. The live singers include Megha, a classical music graduate from Benares Hindu University , who has sung and composed for Manish Jha's Anwar, among other projects. The cast includes established theatre actress Trishla Patel, Tahira Nath, Dilshad Edibam, Purva Naresh and others.
