The play Kaun Salim Kiski Anarkali in Hyderabad blends satire and wit with a Nawabi touch

‘Kaun Salim Kiski Anarkali’ is a Hindi adaptation of Dario Fo's The Virtuous Burglar. Written by Hasan Zaidi and directed by Faraz Khan, the 75-minute play will be staged at Rangbhoomi Spaces, Gachibowli.

Mumbai-based Black Box Productions brings its play Kaun Salim Kiski Anarkali, a story full of satire and wit to Hyderabad. An adaptation of The Virtuous Burglar by renowned Italian playwright Dario Fo, the Hindi play written by Hasan Zaidi and directed by Faraz Khan is set in the Lucknow of the 1920s, a time when a telephone exchange had just come in as the British laid the lines for trunk calls.

The scenario is slightly changed in the Hindi adaptation, informs Faraz, who worked closely with the writer. While Dario Fo’s story has a burglar entering a rich man’s house and gets caught by the man and a lady who is not his wife. The duo’s manipulating tactics in making the burglar lie is a commentary on the conceited nature of the rich and the powerful.

In Kaun Salim.... , the burglar is replaced by a telephone line man who enters a nawab’s haveli. “Since it is is set in Lucknow, the audience can experience the beautiful flavour of Urdu; Javed Akhtar saab Urdu adab jisko kehte hain, woh ismein hai (Urdu adab that Javed Akhtar talks about is there in the play.” Without revealing much, Faraz says that the comedy has beautiful dramatic moments.

Kaun Salim…was to be staged as part of a theatre festival in 2020 but that got cancelled due to lockdowns. This COVID-induced break gave the team time to work on the plot to enhance its nuances. The 75-minute play (“There is no break because I can’t compete with the world of Instagram; give the audience a break and they will snap out into a different zone through their smartphones”) is a bouquet of beautiful sounds - Hindustani - Urdu/Awadhi spoken by nawab sahab played by writer Hasan and colonial English by Lord Tully played by Faraz Khan, a colourful character representing the colonial past of India. “The intent was to make it comical but one shouldn’t miss the nostalgia too.”

Born in Saudi Arabia, Faraz’s family hails from Hyderabad; the actor had lived in the city for 10 years before moving to Mumbai. Now an actor, writer and director, Faraz worked in movies like Patiala House and Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus and straddles the world of theatre, cinema and television. Happy to bring his play to the city, he recalls, “Vaishali (theatre personality Vaishali Bisht) is my first mentor; she introduced me to the world of theatre.” Faraz had directed the play The Open Couple with Vaishali and Anuj Gurwara

The team set up goals to enhance the theatrical experience of Kaun Salim Kiski Anarkali. The motivating factor was: “If Dario Fo comes to watch our play, he should be proud of us.”

Kaun Salim Kiski Anarkali is to be staged thrice — on October 27, 28 and 29 — at Rangbhoomi Spaces, Gachibowli ; Tickets: ₹499 on bookmyshow.com