Governor to inaugurate iconic play ‘1857: Turrebaz Khan’ today

Hyderabad: With a world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and its UK premiere in London, the play ‘1857: Turrebaz Khan’ is being staged in Hyderabad at 7 pm on Saturday at Taramati Baradari Indoor Auditorium. The play is being presented by Telangana Tourism and HMDA in association with Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation.

Governor Jishnu Dev Verma will be the chief guest. The play is based on the life of the 19th Century Hyderabadi soldier Turrebaz Khan, who rebelled for India’s freedom in the Deccan during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. He was known for exemplary valour and bravery. The play is embellished with live traditional Indian percussion played on stage.

‘1857: Turrebaz Khan’ is a gripping drama set in a forest where he was captured before he was shot dead. It presents the imaginary last hour he spent with his captor, Qurban Ali who was a slave to the very establishment that Khan fought against. The two, although from the same soil and origin, are victims of their circumstances; the subject who revolted against the system for a cause and the other, a part of the regime, play-casting to it for his own benefits. The play is embellished with live traditional Indian percussion played on stage. The play with powerhouse performances and a taut script drew huge acclaim in Edinburgh and in London, where the global critics hailed it as ‘Highlight of the Festival’ and ‘A milestone in contemporary Indian theatre’ and Baig’s performance and writing applauded at the world’s most revered theatre arts destination. It took another story of Hyderabad’s heroes to global centrestage, a hallmark of Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s heritage and history-oriented plays.

Veteran actor from Mumbai, Masood Akhtar who earlier worked with directors like Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, M.S. Sathyu and Rakesh Mehra dons the role of the noble man Qurban Ali, while Mohammad Ali Baig plays the titular role tied in ropes throughout the play. This Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation production was produced by Begum Razia Baig, written and directed by Padma Shri Mohammad Ali Baig.