Star Teacher
EBRAHIM ALKAZI
(1925—)
The doyen of contemporary Indian theatre
Ebrahim Alkazi crafted modern Indian theatre by merging the different strands of our heritage—Natya Shastra for one—with international cues and standards of production. He skilfully threaded music, spectacular sets and innovative lighting to leave a lasting impact on the audience much after the curtain came down. Perhaps his education at London’s famed Royal Academy for Dramatic Art gave him the international perspective that enabled him to seamlessly meld various disciplines into contemporary Indian theatre. Alkazi was equally at ease putting up a production along the lines of Japanese classical theatre as a Molière production. He continues to be a Protean; he is a painter, he is a master of the nuances of music as well as design and is an accomplished photographer too.
Alkazi had come from Bombay with an enviable repertoire of English productions. He was fascinated by the open spaces and historic monuments of Delhi. In 1963, he stormed the capital by staging Dharamvir Bharati’s Andha Yug in the ruins of the Purana Qila. That production is still considered a benchmark of modern Indian theatre. Many other memorable productions had his creative imprimatur; among them, John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger electrified audiences as did Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq, to name a few.
Alkazi’s enduring legacy lies in creating the first superstars of Hindi theatre, and I can share, only in fragments, what I’ve learnt from him. He instilled in all of us the tenet that actors must respect audiences. He imbibed in us that discipline is the key to success in acting, just as it is in the other performing arts.