On the 21st of September, Gyaan Adab presented Maja, an in-house production that was directed by Hina Siddiqui. Inspired by the letters exchanged between Amrita Pritam and Imroz, Taking wing from the published text ‘Dastavej’, Maja was an interpretative performance, and sought to view Amrita Pritam as a woman, writer and lover. The various portrayals led to its development into an ensemble performance.
Maja also heralded the debut of the Gyaan Adab Players, a collective of amateur theatre performers. The production starred Tanisha Kale, Sujata Salvi, Dr. Rita Kharat, Vartika Gupta and Rohinee Sharma as the multiple facets of the woman that was Amrita Pritam, while Yogesh Jagam portrayed Imroz.
The cast as Amrita and Imroz used the dramatic reading of their letters to present the various personas one wears when expressing their most intimate feelings. And so, we see Amrita not as the famed writer, but as every person who has ever been in love with the idea of being in love.
With an eager audience and a stellar cast, the play was a humble success and shone a light on the delicate interpretation of Amrita by the director, Hina Siddiqui, an established theatremaker.
The cast also performed a second show of the play at Raah, on the 9th of November, which was met with resounding praise as well.
