Solo act play unveils Lamhe scriptwriter’s love for motherland

SD Sharma

Chandigarh, March 31

The solo act play, "Mein Rahi Masoom", presented jointly by the Hyderabad-based Rangdhara and Sutradhar Groups in the Theatre Olympics under way at Tagore Theatre was a tribute to the literary genius and aesthetic excellence of legendary author, Bollywood lyricist and script writer Dr Rahi Masoom Raza.

Raza won laurels for scripting the stories, screenplay and dialogues for over 100 films, including Kisi se na kehna, Milli, Main tulsi tere anagn ki, Disco Dancer, Lamhe, Golmaal, besides his epoch making work of epical dimension in TV serials Neem ka ped and Mahabhart.

Sans the major theatrical elements and supporting cast, the exceptionally brilliant actor, Vinay Varma, portrayed the life and achievements of Dr Raza in a marathon monologue under the direction of Bhaskar Shewalkar.

The play depicts him scribbling his last will and testament (Vaseeyat) mentioning 'Ganga River' as his second mother. Upholding the democratic values, secularism, nationalism and mutual brotherhood, he debated various issues of national interest with conviction from the Partition to the contemporary socio-cultural and political environment.

The play went on to articulate how Rahi detested communal and vote-bank politics, and how he fought against the divisive forces in the country through his ornate writings.

His heart always pulsated with love for the motherland as the curtain dropped with Rahi signing off with a couplet of poet Jigar Muradabadi "Unka jo farz hai, ahle siyasat jaaney/ Mera paigham mohabbat hai, jahan tak pahunchey."