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“Kaifi Aur Main” a unique theatrical collage of music and poetry about the life of one of India’s most famous poets Kaifi Azmi, father of actress Shabana Azmi, was presented by Shebani and Madan Kulkarni, founders of Drishti Foundation at the Meadows Club in Schaumburg, Ill.
Kaifi Azmi, whose originalname was Sayyid Akhtar Hussein Rizvi, famed Indian Urdu poetand lyricist became known for bringing Urdu literature into Indian motion pictures. His lifetime of social activism is remembered through memoirs and his writings in the theatrical presentation “Kaifi Aur Main”.
The sold-out premier captured this life through ghazals and narrative poetry powerfully expounded by his daughter, actress Shabana Azmi, and son-in-law Javed Akhtar.
The unique performance was a back and forth narration from Javed Akhtar’s book “ Yaad Ki Rehguza” and personal experiences of Shabana Azmi who played the part of her mother Shaukat Azmi.
The discourse between them was interspersed with renditions of Kaifi’s poems and ghazals, sung by renowned singer Jaswinder Singh. Together they opened an intimate window into Azmi and his remarkable life.
The narration by Javed Akhtar prompted the audience to coo and laugh in awe several times during the performance.
Akhtar is himself a writer and recipient of the Padma Shri Award (1999), Padma Bhushan Award (2007), the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as thirteen Filmfare Awards, including Hindi cinema blockbuster films Sholay, Zanjeer, Om Shanti Om, Don 2 and Vishwaroop.
And Shabana Azmi brought an emotional intimacy which only a daughter could render.
“We are so thankful to the people of Chicago for allowing us to share this intimate experiences, from my father’s life with you. Thank you for being such an
amazing audience,” Shabana Azmi said.
Shabana Azmi has appeared in more than 120 Hindi and Bengali films and is renowned for pioneering the progressivism in the Indian film industry. She is also a social and women’s rights activist and Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) which seeks to spread awareness about contraception and abortion in India in order to limit that country’s population.
The compilation of Kaifi’s life experience ranging from his early years of growing up in the village of Mijwah which the poet was instrumental in developing through his cultural and social activism; to his path-breaking work as a lyricist in Hindi cinema; and his determination to over come a life-threatening illness and paralysis were pulled together into an emotionally stirring experience for the audience.
This kind of format is not new to the founders of Drishthi Foundation, Shebani and Madan Kulkarni. “We had done this show around 10 years ago, and when the concept was first launched in India; the kinds of shows which Dhrishti gets involved with are not the typical. For us it is important that there is an educational and entertaining component but it should also have a meaningful conveyance to the audience. “We are the local promoters and it fitted very well into our scheme of things,” they said, adding, “In our last show, “Betaab Dil: The Legend of Madan Mohan”, it was Drishti which created the whole package, we engaged his family intimately, created visual collage and wrote a script.”
Drishti is planning an event on Gulzar, one of India’s most well-known poets and Oscar winning score writer for the song Jai Ho, in Chicago in September.
Founded in 2001, Drishti’s launch at the Chicago Field Museum was inaugurated by Ustad Zakir Hussain. Since then Drishti has presented more than 150 shows across the U.S. and the foundation has been avidly training underprivileged children across India in music, art and literature through workshops and education. “To us Drishti is themost important thing we have done in our lives and we aredeeply committed to these values,” said Kulkarni.
The post ‘Kaifi Aur Main’ Celebrates The Life And Times Of Kaifi Azmi appeared first on News India Times.