LPU Performing Arts’ Students learnt enthralling Theatric-Lessons from Nadira Babbar’s Play enacted at LPU Stage

• The play ‘Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan’ exhibited life of struggle and success for finding a place in bollywood
• Actors of Mumbai based theatre group ‘Ekjute’ presented marvelous performance

Lovely Professional University students witnessed today mesmerizing theatrics from theater-veteran Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s popular play ‘Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan’ enacted at its densely packed SDM Auditorium. The play entertained and awakened students through deep humour, pathos, satires & social concerns alike. Actor, playwright, director Nadira’s this production was enacted by artistes from her Mumbai based theatre group ‘Ekjute’. Nadira is wife of reputed bollywood star turned politician RaJ Babbar. LPU students from the School of Performing Arts learnt important theatric-skills from the performance. Along with National School of Drama graduate Nadira, other famous performers from Mumbai included Sangam Shukla  who acted as Devi Da, Mithilesh Maihar (Tikam), Manav Pande (Rajan), Rajiv Singh (Laxmi), Devesh (Arif Ali), Neha Shaikh (Mrs Nancy), Anupama Negi (Raila), Gunjan (Bela) and Hanif Patni. Living their characters, these actors acted in a spontaneous manner and by being in gripping connection with LPU audience. Structurally, the play focuses on various issues that strugglers have to face in Mumbai to find a place in bollywood film industry.

Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner, Nadira informed: “With my theatre group, I try for entertaining and socially relevant plays which may evoke tremendous response from the audience. Over the years, we have been successful in building impressive audience in the top cities of India and at LPU.” Appreciating student-audience she said: “I have all praise for the young audience which proved to be ‘fit and large ’. I am confident that this play will surely impress, inspire and encourage young students to be on positive lines during their days of struggle.

Having borrowed its title from one of yester years’ bollywood film “CID” song, screened on actor Johny Walker, the play projects some aspects of the life of struggling artistes, who come to Mumbai to earn name and fame in the dream world of films. They are shown living in a small room which is jam-packed and dirty. Nadira’s characters quarrel a lot at the trivial issues and cheat, steal and live in miserable conditions; however, they do not mouth any philosophical comments on life.  The strugglers are simple, entangled in their own small world hoping to get a break some day. Despite of their defeats, privations and isolation from their family, they retain their human essence. In their heart of hearts they are essentially good and compassionate beings. The roles of Dabbewalla, Doctor, Lady-love depicts different threads of the story.

Thanking all the great artistes of Ekjut Theatre group, LPU Pro Chancellor Mrs Rashmi Mittal said: “Theatre veteran Nadira Ji and her team has enabled LPU students to watch a play which is embedded with humane tones and underlying message. In fact, this ages old art form is very helpful to youth as it provides face to face easy messages to quickly understand and immediate following.” Mrs Mittal invited the group for more of such plays at LPU stage for awakening and shaping the youth in accordance to the needs of the society.