Many facets of Manto – The Hindu

It is a collection of six stories by Manto,” says Deevas. “The USP of the play is that it is a fresh play every time you watch as the stories selected and dramatised are different for every show.”

Deevas, an architect from Chandigarh, quit his high profile job to pursue theatre and shifted base to Bengaluru over two decades ago. Ishtihaar, Deevas says, means a pamphlet or an advertisement. The Manto stories that are a part of this show are Ek Zaahida Ek Fahisha, Aurat Zaat, Ghuslkhaana, Baadshaahat ka Khaatma, Burqe, and Tedhi Lakeer.

Introduced to Manto’s works a decade ago, Deevas chose to dramatise Manto’s lesser-known stories. “Whenever we talk about Manto, we talk about his Toba Tek Singh, Thanda Gosht or Khol Do. Nobody seems to go beyond these though today Manto is being worked with across the globe. When I discovered Manto, I realised that he had written 270 short stories, besides novels and plays. I believe it is injustice to him if he is known as just a ‘Partition and prostitution’ writer alone.”

Manto’s legacy, Deevas says, is beyond this. “He is a humorous writer. The manner in which he looks at the society is not only real but also hilarious. It is like being funny when you are telling someone the truth, lest they kill you. You see this style in Manto’s writings. He delivers a serious message in a funny manner.”

Poetry, Deevas says, was added between each story. “The play goes on for 80 to 90 minutes, and we felt we needed some connector between the stories. Poetry also acts as a relief for the audience to get ready for the next story. This module has worked beautifully for us.”

Deevas Gupta
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Special Arrangement

The other challenge, says Deevas, was to pick the poem to go with the theme. “When we could not find suitable poetry, I started writing poems to suit the core themes. The poems are written in a manner ensuring the language remains close to the crux of the story and Manto’s use of language.”

For instance, Deevas says, if the story is in Urdu, the poem is also in Urdu and Hindustani. “Ishtihaar, for me, is not just a play, but a project where I want people to learn more about Manto.”

Deevas, who is also a voice actor, director and storyteller, became a full-time actor a decade ago and has been writing poems in Hindustani since he was in college. “I have shared my poetry on every possible platform. My first poetry session was held in Urban Solace years ago”.

Ishtihaar will be staged by Kinaaya Collective, which was founded by Deevas, Varun Kainth (who moved to the US) and Prakil Singh in 2019. “It started off as our initiative to appreciate arts and an effort to bring all kinds of performing arts together through theatre.”

Ishtihaar will be staged on October 19 at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets on BookMyShow.