Quli Bhagmati love legend comes alive

Despite flooding rains and cancellations of programmes which were a part of the penultimate day of the Telangana State Formation Celebrations, fans and theatre lovers thronged the Shilpa Kala Vedika Auditorium in HITEC City to watch Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s ‘Quli : Dilon ka Shahzaada’ which came back to the city after being the toast of six international theatre festivals in five countries, winning standing ovations.

Hyderabad’s famous love-legend of its founder Quli Qutb Shah and Bhagmati came alive and the audience was kept captivated for over an hour when Prince Quli (played brilliantly by Mohammad Ali Baig) emerged from amongst the audience to the resounding alaaps of Quli’s poetry ‘Piya Baaj Pyaala’ and haunting tanpura.

Quli took the audience back in time retelling his story from the time he was appointed the king as a 15-year-old to taking up the reins of the Golconda kingdom albeit with initial hesitation but no choice, to meeting Bhagmati for the first time while on a hunting expedition, to his love for her, both their families’ resistance to this alliance.

Amidst the dramatic moments, the narrative also presented the unveiling of Charminar, bazaars around it, char kamaan, and Quli’s modeling of the city on lines of Iranian city Isfahan. Significant events during his reign, like the famous flooding of River Musi, building the historical bridge across it and the killing plague that almost devastated the kingdom were meticulously enacted with innovative elements of shadow dance, classical vocals, enhanced by surreal lighting.

Gorgeous Noor Baig (co-writer of the play) as Bhagmati brought in both glamour element and sensitivity of the character that’s required of the historical danseuse. Veterans Vijay Prasad and Rashmi Seth as the disapproving parents completed the powerful performances in the repertory. Ustad Ahsan Hussain Khan and his son Fazil Hussain led the live Qawwali adding to the overall spectacular.