Just published in India Currents!
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| Photo Credit: Brooke Duthie |
Lovers
of The Twentieth Wife will be excited
to know kathak artist Farah Yasmeen Shaikh will soon be interpreting the
popular novel on a San Francisco stage. Avid readers will also be thrilled that
Indu Sundaresan, acclaimed author of the novel, will narrate the performance. “I
watched one of her performances and was absolutely mesmerized by her technique,
stamina, and skill” says Indu Sundaresan, author of The Twentieth Wife, of Shaikh’s dynamism on stage. Shaikh and
Sundaresan will be joined by a live orchestra to tell the interwoven stories of
Emperor Akbar, Prince Salim, and the woman who would become the twentieth wife
of Jahangir, Mehrunissa.
“Mughal
kings were larger than life. They lived violently and loved violently” explains
Sundaresan. The Twentieth Wife, based
on a close historical reading of the Mughal Empire in India, focuses on pivotal
events in the transfer of power between two of its most influential emperors. The
novel’s true genius, though, lies in locating the story’s historical
perspective behind zenana walls. Although the novel has already become a TV
series, Shaikh and Sundaresan’s performance will offer a new way into a beloved
story. “As far as I know the concept had never been done before. Kathak is a
dance form that evolved before the time I’m talking about, but it was performed
for the Mughals so it seemed like a nice marriage” says Sundaresan.
“I
wanted to share the honor I feel representing this part of history, honoring
this woman for the poignant place she holds today with gender imbalance in the
world,” says Shaikh, artistic director, speaking of Mehrunissa. After falling
in love with The Twentieth Wife upon
first reading, Shaikh reached out to Sundaresan to propose joining their art
forms in an artistic collaboration. “I was deeply moved by reading the book. As
a Muslim woman trained in and practicing a classical dance form with Islamic
influence, I wanted to bring [these things] together” explains Shaikh.
The
result is a dynamic interpretation by Shaikh that inhabits the lives, perspectives,
and bodies of Akbar, Salim, and Mehrunissa. “The burden of the entire
performance falls on her” says Sundaresan of Shaikh. Sundaresan’s narration
will tie the performance to its original form, “The entire dance drama is
narrated directly from the novel. I added a little original content to help
with the transitions.” The performance will, on a deeper level, also tell the
story of the collaboration between these two women. “’It’s not just what you
create on the dance floor, you must spend time together, eat together, know
each other,’” says Shaikh, quoting her teacher and guru, Pandit Chitresh Das,
on the art of collaboration.
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| Photo Credit: Brooke Duthie |
Using multi-media effects, a dynamic grouping of
musicians, and multiple costume changes, the performance will highlight the
unique perspective of imperial women in Mughal history. “In the zenana, in the
harem, things happened behind closed doors. The audience may not have been able
to see things directly, depending on who they were [historically],” says Shaikh
of her shadow-work to portray Mehrunissa’s perspective during the performance. Original music composed by Salar Nader will provide an
auditory interpretation for Mehrunissa and other characters, with Ben Kunin on
sarod, Raginder Singh Momi on violin, Deepti Warrier on vocals, and Irum
Musharraf as vocal support.
“It
was kismet,” concludes Shaikh of the opportunity to collaborate with Sundaresan.
Female audience members will be inspired by Shaikh’s motivation to “move beyond
the repertoire I was taught to find something that uniquely inspires me.” Male
audience members will also relate to her interpretation, “So many men find the
scene between Akbar and Salim very emotional, and want to talk about it” says
Shaikh. Ultimately, the performance will tell the story of the woman who will
become Empress Noor Jahan, a woman who becomes much more than simply the power
behind the veil. “It is history told in a contemporary context, in a
contemporary way” concludes Sundaresan.
Z
Space Presents The Twentieth Wife
Farah
Yasmeen Shaikh and Indu Sundaresan
450
Florida Street, San Francisco, 94110
Friday,
January 16th and Saturday, January 17th 8pm
Sunday,
January 18th 2pm
Tickets
begin at $35
www.zspace.org
