To Safdar, with love

One of Hashmi's plays in progress. pic courtesy/Janam

There's a reason why Sudhanva Deshpande, actor and author of Halla Bol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi, chose to begin the story of the Communist playwright and director with his death. "There's a peculiar way in which when people die for a cause, their death becomes larger than their life, for instance Che Guevara, Bhagat Singh or Safdar Hashmi. Safdar's was not an accidental death; it was part of a struggle. To understand that life, you have to understand that death and those struggles," he says about the fatal attack on Hashmi and his theatre group, Jana Natya Manch or Janam, while they were performing the play Halla Bol in 1989.

So, when Deshpande released his book in January, Sunil Shanbag, director and founder, Studio Tamaasha, expressed his keenness to be a part of it. The result of this collaboration will be what Shanbag calls "a warm evening of celebrating a very brave theatre personality," at the studio tomorrow.

Playwright and director Safdar Hashmi. Pic courtesy/Janam

Deshpande and Hashmi go back a long way, from appreciating each other's plays to working together in Janam and being part of the 1989 tragedy. "The idea of the book had been brewing in my head for around 25 years. I started working on it last summer amid protests across college campuses. That became an inspiration for me as Safdar was very young when he was killed [34 years]; lots of young people look up to him as an iconic figure. His face, his words are there on placards, protests today. I felt this was the right time," says Deshpande, adding that the book, "a part memoir, part biography and part history of an era," also brings to life sides of Hashmi previously unknown. "I've spoken about how much stuff he made possible by enabling things. For instance, no one knows the major role he played in the restoration of filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak's works, or how he wanted to take on Moloyshree's surname when they got married."

Sudhanva Deshpande

Tomorrow evening, many such excerpts from the book will be read out, followed by one of Hashmi's iconic plays, Machine, which will be put up by Deshpande, along with actors from Janam. "When they perform Machine, there'll be an excerpt [from the book] that refers to why it was created, what it means to Janam... so there will be a constant connect between the book and what will be performed," shares Shanbag. Actors Sukant Goel, Alka Sharma, Sapan Saran and Santanu Ghatak will also do dramatic readings of the book, recite poems that Hashmi wrote for children and render a few songs. "Some of the excerpts will be about his journey as a theatre personality, what his engagement with the craft was, how Janam came about, followed by a dramatic reading on the killing. Signed copies of the book will also be available," says Saran.

On March 7, 7pm onwards
At Studio Tamaasha, 602, Samarth Vaibhav Business Centre, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri West.
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 100

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