Bikhre Bimb - A Hindi Play By Girish Karnad

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation is organising a theater festival from 6th to 10th September, at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium. This 5-day festival will feature 4 renowned plays and a documentary.

Today, the third day, a Hindi play called Bikhre Bimb will be staged. This one-act, one-performer play tells the story of Manjula Nayak, a professor of English literature who has been an unsuccessful writer in Kannada. She finds international acclaim when she writes a novel in English, which becomes a bestseller.

The story starts with her introducing the audience to her novel in a TV studio, prior to a film on it being telecast. After she finishes her introduction, she is confronted by her own image on the screen which poses questions on betrayal of her language and identity when she chooses to write in English.

Directed by Girish Karnad and K M Chaitanya and staged by Ranga Shankara of Bangalore, this play was hailed as one of the best productions in the country in 2005. Originally written in Kannada as "Odakalu Bimba", it was subsequently written in English as "A Heap Of Broken Images". Nayak is played by Arundhati Nag.

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation was founded by Mohammed Ali Baig, an advertising wizard, in memory of his father Quadir Ali Baig, who was a doyen of Hindustani theater. It was established in an attempt at revival of theater, which had lost its sheen. The foundation has on board danseuse Vani Ganapathi, artistes Rohini Hattangadi, Suhasini Mani Ratnam and Urmila Matondkar, lyricist Javed Akhtar and director M S Sathyu.

The foundation not only stages plays regularly every month, but also imparts basic training in all aspects of theater so that young talent gets nurtured. Begum Razia Qadir Ali Baig, wife of Qadir Ali, is the chairperson of the foundation, while Sathyu is the national director and Mohammad Ali is the president.

The entry to the play is by tickets which cost Rs. 200, Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 per head. Please contact 98490-66522 for further details.