Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival was a melange of cultures and artistes

Hyderabad: Picture actors from Norway and Malaysia mingling with performers from Assam, Maharashtra and Kerala. Add playwrights from France and Telangana, musicians from West Bengal and Karnataka, all converging on a single platform in Hyderabad. That was the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival.

Now in its 20th year, Telangana’s annual theatre festival continues to captivate audiences while drawing the global theatre fraternity to the city of Hyderabad to celebrate exceptional stagecraft and honour a legend.

This year’s edition saw debutants and young performers sharing the spotlight with veterans like Mohan Agashe, Sharmila Tagore and Mahesh Elkunchwar. “It’s amazing to see theatre exponents from so many different countries and cultures gather in one city over these three weeks and rock the stage. It’s an incredible experience for us,” said European writer and actress Karen Houge, who arrived in Hyderabad from Edinburgh’s prestigious global festival.

Junaid Khan, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s son, made his stage debut at the festival as well. “It’s an honour to perform at such a prestigious platform. It’s not just their choice of plays but their hospitality is something to write home about,” he said.

The mother-daughter duo of Lillete and Ira Dubey of Primetime Theatre said Hyderabad feel like home. “There’s no other place in the country where we artistes feel so honoured and loved as we do here. It’s a real privilege to be here,” Kolkata artiste Anirudh Sarkar said. 

“Qadir Sahib revolutionized theatre and the cultural space of Hyderabad. I consider myself blessed that I am included this year,” said Mahesh Elkunchwar.

Hyderabad veteran Swapan Mondal of Sudraka Theatre reflected on the festival’s impact. “Before the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival came into being, Hyderabad had no festival to call its own. Two decades ago, such a celebration of stagecraft was unheard of in the city. For many of us, it was the first time the magic of world-class theatre unfolded right here. This festival is a symbol of excellence and to feature in it is a dream come true,” he said.

National award-winning filmmaker B Narsing Rao, whose ‘Matti Manushulu’ starring Moin Ali Baig and Neena Gupta was screened in the first weekend, called it “an awesome experience, a really wonderful evening.” Films as diverse as Sharmila Tagore and Mohan Agashe’s ‘OutHouse’ and Ananya Kasaravalli’s ‘Harikatha Prasanga’ were also screened in different languages.