Bombay Theatre’s “Jaam-e-Shahadat”: The Promise of An Incisive Narrative in Satire

Ahmedabad is hosting two shows of an adaptation from the much-looked upto repertoire of candid short stories of the well known writer late Sadat Hasan Manto who lived a short biological life of 43 years but continues to live in literature and theatre 68 years after his death in 1955.

Directed by Narendra Sachar and adapted for stage by Sachar’s compatriot on stage Sanjiv Mehta & Sachar’s  partner Producer Maya Rao, this performance will be presented by these visitors from Mumbai at two intimate theatres of the city namely Prayogshala in Dinesh Hall area of Ashram Road and Footlights Theatre in Thaltej area on two consecutive evenings in the coming weekend.

The play titled ‘Jaam-e-Shahadat’ is adapted from Manto’s story “Shaheed Saz” and is being brought under the joint aegis of the Bombay Theatre Group and Can & Able Productions both managed by Sacher with his partners in stage and TV expression. The play explores the corruption of human and moral values during the turbulent time of India’s partition when millions of people migrated to both sides, not knowing what to expect in their new domains. But the originally Gujarati protagonist of the story – a merchant from Kathiawar region of the state – “moves to a city in Pakistan for the specific objective of business where some profited from out of the distress while general populaces on both sides suffered the consequences of this tragedy.”

Manto is known and remembered for his hard-hitting candid narration of the situations as he saw without trying to soften his characters or their tongues in the name of sophistication. Actually he seems to have allowed himself a free and effortless hand to make his characters real, rustic and grounded to offer a slice of the real life without seeing any sense of shame in it.

Many of his stories including Toba Tek Singh, Kali Shalwar, Boo, Thanda Gosht and others have been successfully adapted for stage and played all over India in the past by many theatre groups in furtherance of what came to be known as “Kahani ka Rangmanch” in late seventies when Hindi-Hindustani plays were found in dearth by thespians like Devendra Raj Ankur and others from NSD; who then turned to short stories to adapt them to stage versions. This genre later devolved into story telling experiments without conventional enactment in stage composition and movements! Munshi Prem Chand, Manto, Ismat Chughtai perhaps remain the most played in this segment of theatre even as Udai Prakash, Amar Kant and many other later writers have also provided appreciable fare for the purpose.

This story of Jaam – e – Shahdat interestingly has roots in Gujarat as it follows a small-time no-qualms merchant-contractor from this part who migrates to Pakistan with the hope of making it big in business. Manto looks at what happens in post partition Pakistan through the life and actions of this merchant in his inimitable style of dark humor, sharp wit, subtle pun and pungent satire!

Manto’s stories have the visible advantage of lending themselves naturally to stage performances as Manto is himself the witty narrator most of the time and his narration is directed straight to the reader-listener-viewer. It’s for this reason that the local theatre groups of Ahmedabad have had their own brush with Manto. We may particularly recall two productions that happened at Natrani and elsewhere. The first was in 2013 titled Chalta Firta Bambai which featured Abhinay Banker to profile Manto’s the writer set against a milieu of his times. There was another play Jane Wah Kaise Log The which brought together and enlivened in a string writers like Amrita, Manto and Ismat Chughtai.

In the upcoming story also Manto’s brilliant wit stands out as he takes a series of digs on the manipulative Merchant of Kathiawar who not only survives in the newly carved out antagonistic-theocratic state of Pakistan, but actually thrives to quickly build his fortunes. It’s then that he is bitten by the ideas of charity, philanthropy and social outreach borne out of the alround distress and his own sense of guilt. But the writer soon reveals all of it to be just superficial make-believe as the Merchant continues with his insensitive and indifferent methods of earning which jeopardize human lives with injury or death – only to be ‘elevated’ with the farce of “shahadat” – the “martyrdom in accidental deaths”, a ploy devised and coined in conjunction with Mullas of the time.

The narrative adapted into a dialogue with two characters on stage played by Sachar and Mehta promises to come across as a gripping and pithy divulgence of cunning indifference of all the vested interests even in the worst times of human tragedies, the Merchant being only one of such exploiters who can overcome any conscientious nagging from within.

Both Sachar and Mehta give chiselled and sharp deliveries to chilling effect on audiences in earlier performances at Bengaluru and Mumbai. For record’s sake and for the benefit of first timers to this duo, Sachar started his initial practice of theatre in Jammu and did his post-graduation in dramatics from the Department of Indian Theater, Chandigarh which has a ranking and goodwill of its own. He worked in the repertory company of the National School of Drama, Delhi before moving to Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai for a career in acting, direction and production on stage and in an emerging TV domains, not to forget his forays into promoting indigenous crafts.

Head of the production department at Studio Productions on the Pogo Channel, Sachar has himself worked in several movies and TV shows, including OH Darling Yeh Hai India, Bombay Blue, Dushman, Sarkar, Jai Ho! Democracy, Bloody Brothers, C.I.D., Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach, Kalaga Thalaivan, and Made in Heaven. He was the producer of Pani Pani Re in the movie Chup.

Mehta the other performer has a track record of having done extensive theatre first in Nainital with the theatre group Yug Manch before he also shifted to Mumbai for working in TV serials and commercials. Significantly he has a third side as he also dabbled in writing hilarious shows like ‘Movers and Shakers’, ‘Bajate Raho’ and some more while he now continues adapting story scripts like the present play.

Maya Rao the Producer of the play who was supposed to come with her team but had to drop out due to an injury has a post graduation in Film Direction from the FTII, Pune; has an experience of substantial 30 years in diverse areas of advertising films, documentaries, TV shows and films, including a stint as the Creative Director of POGO Channel and being at the helm of the award winning show M.A.D. amongst many others, currently managing Can & Able Media House.

So theatre buffs can look forward to this crisp performance of a two-some rooted in Gujarat but ‘uprooted’ to Pakistan eventually in late forties and fifties. This comes at Prayogshala on Saturday and at Footlights Theatre on Sunday evening at usual Ahmedabad timings, viz 8 pm onwards.

Find booking details here: https://creativeyatra.com/events/jaam-e-shahadat/