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Labour of love
The celebrated tale of Anarkali and Prince Saleem’s unrequited love was presented anew at a show that gave rare insight into our country’s art scene. The light and sound extravaganza titled Anarkali by Serendip Productions was held at the Lahore Fort during a six-day performance. The show, hosted by the government of Punjab, was attended by bigwigs from politics, arts, media and the corporate sector from within and outside Lahore. The Indian Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Amarinder Singh along with his delegation attended the show on its second day. It was also a sequel to Noor Jehan performed at the Fort last year. This year, too, it boasted ornate sets, majestic costumes and jewellery, along with a huge cast.
The historic tale of the young Mughal prince who fell in love with a beautiful courtesan was brought to life by an intelligent use of light that aided the dramatic instances of the performance. The crescendo and ebb of background music complemented the buildup of the story towards its climax.
Amjad Islam Amjad’s script was punctuated with intense dialogue. “The show ticketed for Rs1,000 should be open to public on weekends and become a regular event,” he said. “Through modern technology, it should be converted into such a form that the public is able to watch it after the Fort’s regular timing for Rs20-25.”
Besides the script, Amjad Islam Amjad had also coordinated the voiceovers. Hats off to Firdous Jamal’s magnetic performance who delivered Prince Saleem’s dialogue, acted out by NCA graduate, Ifran Naveed. Shujaat Hashmi gave an immemorable performance as Akbar played and dubbed by him. The audio track cast included Uzma Gillani as Judabai, Arifa Siddiqui as Anarkali, Rehana Siddiqui as the antagonistic character of Dilaram, played by Amna Khan, Kiran, and Isha Ali.
The prerecorded songs played in the various dance sequences received a mixed response from the audience. Nonetheless, Anarkali gave a brilliant performance as did Dilaram’s moves at the dance showdown amid fireworks, inviting applause from the audience. The dances were choreographed by Zareen Suleman, the wife of director S. Suleman.
Emphasis was placed on the circumstances and the way Anarkali and Saleem’s love sprouts with a few inserts of Dilaram’s mischievous plots. It was interesting how a 95-minute show developed the main characters to the height of their aspirations and burning desires.
The use of light served a special purpose in different scenes. Sequences with Mughal celebrations and Emperor Akbar’s wedding were lit very brightly in yellow interspersed with fireworks. Dance sequences were performed with rays of interchanging multi-coloured lights dancing on Anarkali as her moves mesmerize Prince Saleem. The dancing lights creating a soft, romantic ambience also revealed Anarkali’s state of ecstasy as she finds herself falling in love with Akbar’s sole heir, Saleem. Whereas, the battlefield sequences were performed with flickering lights illuminating one clashing army at a time and thundering sound enhancing the scale of conflict and the overwhelming Mughal might.
The sets were all round the audience in the Diwan-i-Aam lawns of the Fort. The lights illuminated the sets as action moved from one set to another sometimes taking place at two sets simultaneously. The show involved a lot of audience involvement as the seating, including revolving chairs to facilitate the view of the sets, was arranged at the centre of the encircling set. However, not everyone welcomed the idea as some thought the sets were either too low or far away.
While the show continued smoothly during its first two days, Lahore’s unrelenting windstorm and heavy rain halted it for the next two days. It played havoc with the sets and aroused the Serendip’s team spirit that calmly faced the untoward situation. The show witnessed the liveliest of audience on its third day whilst the audience on the fourth day was impatient owing to the bad weather.
Replying to a question whether this particular light and sound show was better than the one held in Delhi, Amarinder Singh said: “I haven’t seen that one, but I have been told that this one is better.”
The short documentary on conservation at the beginning of the show put the following show into context and reminded the audience that conservation of our glorious heritage sites is something worth investing our efforts and pride in.
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