Disha - Interactive Session With Sai Paranjpye By Mohammad Ali Baig: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR DISHA - INTERACTIVE SESSION...

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation is organising "Disha", an interactive session with film director Sai Paranjpye and theatre personality Mohammad Ali Baig on 19th December at the Taj Banjara.

Sai Paranjpye is a movie director and a screenwriter. She is the director of award-winning movies including Sparsh, Katha, Chasme Buddoor and Disha. The government of India awarded Sai the Padma Bhushan title in 2006 in recognition of her artistic talents.

Sai took to writing early in her life, and her first book of fairy tales, Mulancha Mewa (in Marathi), was published when she was 8 years old. She graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, in 1963.

Sai started her career in All India Radio (AIR) in Pune as an announcer, and soon got involved with AIR's children's program. Over the years, Sai has written and directed plays in Marathi, Hindi, and English, for both adults and children. She has written and directed 6 feature films, 2 children's films, and 5 documentaries. She has also written many books for children, and 6 of her books have won national or state level awards.

In the 1970s, Sai served as the Chairperson Of Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) twice, which is a Government Of India organization with the objective of promoting and ensuring value-based entertainment for children. She made 4 children's films for CFSI, including the award-winning Jadoo Ka Shankh (1974) and Sikandar (1976).

Sai's first feature film, Sparsh (The Touch), was released in 1980, and it won 5 film awards, including the National Film Award. Sparsh was followed by the comedies Chashme Buddoor (1981) and Katha (1982). She also made TV serials that include Ados Pados (1984), and Chhote Bade (1985). Her subsequent movies include Angootha Chhap (1988) about National Literacy Mission; Disha (1990) about the plight of immigrant workers; Papeeha (Forest Love Bird) (1993); Saaz (1997) (inspired by the lives of Indian playback singing sisters, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle); and Chaka Chak (2005), which was aimed at creating public awareness about environment issues. In 2001, Sai made a movie for children, Bhago Bhoot. At the first Indian International Women's Film Festival in Goa in 2005, a review of Sai's movies was held, and it featured her best movies. She headed the jury in the feature film category of the 55th National Film Awards for 2007.

Mohammad Ali Baig is the son of Hindustani theatre doyen Qadir Ali Baig. He is known for his international ad-films (for the Aditya Birla Group, Coke and Ford). He quit this well-paid job in order to revive theatre in Hyderabad, and take charge of the Qadir Ali Baig Foundation at the instance of his mother Razia Baig. He has directed a few plays among which are Taramati and His Exalted Highness.

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation was founded by Mohammad Ali Baig in an attempt at revival of theatre which had lost its sheen. The foundation has on board danseuse Vani Ganapathy, 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 theatre 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.

Entry is strictly by invitation. Please contact 98490-66522 for further details.