Habibnama lets the audience get up close and personal with legendary theatre personality Habib Tanvir

Danish Husain as Habib Tanvir
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: The Hoshruba Repertory

HIS 2023 production Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon, based on the life and works of poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi, received an overwhelming response. Even while theatre director and actor Danish Husain continued staging it in different cities, he was thinking of a subject for his next project. That was when stage personality M.K. Raina approached him with the idea of doing a play on the legendary theatre personality Habib Tanwir. The result was Habibnama, an 85-minute presentation.

Danish, who runs the Hoshruba Repertory, says, “Raina was helping curate the festival ‘Dekh rahe hain nayan’, hosted recently by the Kolkata Centre for Creativity to celebrate Habibji’s birth centenary. Habibnama was premiered there. Since I was also staging my plays at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, I slotted two shows on August 31, a day before his 101st birth anniversary.” 

Danish’s had worked with Habib for five years, as part of his renowned play Agra Bazar. “As an actor, I had closely observed his mannerisms and style of speaking. This came in handy while playing him in Habibnama, where I even dressed and smoked a pipe like him. I also invited actor Purushottam Bhatt, who worked with Habib’s Naya Theatre for 50 years, to be part of my new project. He guided me a lot.” 

From Habibnama
| Photo Credit:
Courtesy: The Hoshruba Repertory

Initially, the idea was to write the script as if Habib was reading his autobiography. But later, Danish designed it as though he was giving an interview to an unseen journalist. “I also introduced two characters, played by Purushottam Bhatt and Mohan Sagar, who would interrupt by coming up with songs and acted performances, basically looking for a role. Through them, we showcased some songs and scenes from Habib’s plays,” says Danish. 

Habib has made a pioneering contribution to Urdu and Hindi theatre, and Danish’s intention was to talk about his style, his views on art and culture, his political thought and ideology. Best known for plays such as Agra Bazar, Charandas Chor, Shatranj Ke Mohre, Ponga Pandit and Gaon Naam Sasural, and Mor Naam Damad, he was recognised for his work with Chattisgarhi tribals. He formed Naya Theatre In 1959, and also popularised the folk art form Nacha, which has a unique method of presentation, make-up, costume, jewellery, music and dance. He was also known for creating social awareness through his works. 

Born Habib Ahmed Khan on September 1, 1923, in Raipur (earlier in Madhya Pradesh, and now capital of Chattisgarh), he moved to Mumbai after his schooling and college in Nagpur and Aligarh, and began to write poems and film songs. He joined the Progressive Writers’ Association and became active in the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). 

Habib’s love for the stage actually began after watching Vallathol, who founded the Kerala Kalamandalam and revived Kathakali. He would refer to him as his first guru. Habib’s first successful play Agra Bazar was inspired by the 18^th century Urdu poet Nazir Akbarabadi. He roped in people and folk artistes from Delhi, and staged the play in a marketplace. Thus creating a new method of live performance. He travelled to various parts of Europe, learning about different theatre styles. 

Purushottam Bhatt and Mohan Sagar brought alive scenes from Habib Tanvir’s plays.
| Photo Credit:
Courtesy: The Hoshruba Repertory

Once he returned to India, Habib directed Mitti Ki Gaadi, based on the Sanskrit drama Mrichakatika. He used folk actors from Chattisgarh, and soon got involved with theatre and music styles of that region. His hugely successful Charandas Chor was based on a Rajasthani folk tale by Vijaydan Detha. It was adapted to screen by Shyam Benegal, with Lalu Ram and Smita Patil in the lead roles. Habib’s play Ponga Pandit, though staged since the 1960s, created controversy in the 1990s, because its theme of religious hypocrisy was seen in a different light by fundamentalists. 

In Habibnama, Danish has focussed on the main aspects of the theatre legend’s life. “Besides his plays, I have also talked about his growing up years, his exposure to cinema and theatre. I didn’t want my production to be too anecdotal. I was also aware that ardent theatre followers knew his work. But I wanted to reach out to even those outside the theatre community,” says Danish.