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The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA Mumbai) marked its 56th anniversary with a grand performance of 'Aakhri Shama,' a timeless play written by the legendary poet Kaifi Azmi, designed and directed by MS Sathyu, and produced by Ramesh Talwar.
Staged at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, the play recreated the charm of Delhi's old culture and the golden age of Urdu poetry. Based on Farhatullah Baig's Dilli Ka Yaadgar Mushaira, the performance beautifully brought to life the poetic spirit and tehzeeb of 19th-century Delhi. The production featured an ensemble cast, including Kawaljeet Singh, Avtar Gill, Aanjjan Srivastav, Akhilendra Mishra, Rakesh Bedi, and Manish Wadhwa, who gave heartfelt performances that captured the essence of the era. Actor Avtar Gill, who has been associated with the play for decades, shared the play's deep connection with IPTA's journey. "Aakhri Shama is a very famous play by IPTA. It was played for the first time 56 years ago by IPTA. The play was based on Farhatullah Baig's last mushaira in Delhi. Mr. Kaifi dramatised the play and wrote it. At that time, the great artists of IPTA were Mr. Balraj Saini, Mr. A. K. Angal, even Qadir Khan, Yunus Pervez, Ramesh Talwar, Mac Mohan, Geeta Siddharth. It is a very successful play by IPTA. We have been playing it for the last 56 years. It has been played all over India," he said while speaking to ANI. Veteran actor Aanjjan Srivastav spoke about his character in the play, saying, "In the play, I am playing Baal Mukund. He used to do poetry in Urdu." Actor Manish Wadhwa explained the historical backdrop of the story and his role in it. "Aakhri Shama is a play which you can say was the last poetry when the war was going on. At that time, mushairas had stopped. Everyone wanted to call Mirza Ghalib. And all those who were against him, who were with him, all of them gathered in Saheb-e-Alam Fakhr-ud-Din's room. All of them presented their poetry and ghazals." "I am playing Momin Khan, who was a poet. He was the only poet who had a relationship with love. The rest of them were connected with society, politics, or anger," he added. Rakesh Bedi, who has been part of the production for decades, shared how performing Aakhri Shama feels like revisiting history each time. "We are celebrating our 56th year today. And it's been almost 40-45 years since I did it. I play the character of Khudood. This is a very iconic play. Whenever I do this play, I feel like I am reading a page of history. Because this is the poetry that Bahadur Shah Zafar had written in 1857 in Lal Qila. And he tried to bring all the contemporary poets of that time together on one platform. After that, mushairas stopped." He also reflected on the importance of theatre for actors. "Maybe theatre doesn't give you a lot of financial gain, but it gives you discipline, commitment, and team spirit. It keeps you in touch with today's generation and keeps you polished as an actor." Akhilendra Mishra, another veteran, spoke about his long journey with the play. "I play the role of Jain-ul-Abidin Khan Arif. He is the Nawab of Lucknow. I've been doing this for 40 years. The play was revived in 1985. It was first staged in 1969 when Balraj Soni performed it. When it was revived in 1985, I joined the play. I was in the backstage." (ANI)
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