70 kids to take the stage for a grand scale Mughal Era play

Aurangzeb soliloquising in high-flown English, Sufi dancers twirling with surreal serenity, 80 actors putting up a stellar performance that brings the house down – Alamgir, a play written and produced by Shantanu G Rajadhyaksha in 2017 – had the makings of a large scale production a la Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical. The actors of Rajadhyaksha's play, however, were not trained professionals, but middle school students between classes six and nine.

The BD Somani International School history teacher, whose interest in Mughal history dates back to his own student days, produced the play last May as an ambitious one-off project. Now, Rajadhyaksha is about to stage yet another large-scale production titled Lal Kuan – this time with 70 students.

"We did Alamgir on a grand scale because the play demanded that kind of a setting. We didn't want to compromise on any aspect, and though it seemed impossibly ambitious at the time, we managed to make it work," the teacher recalls.

The play, this time around, has two sixth graders in the lead roles of the last Mughal queen Zeenat Mahal, and a trusted confidant of the king, Ashan Ullah Khan. "The old king, Bahadur Shah Zaffar, is betrayed by his queen and confidant. The son finds out what has passed and conflict ensues," explains Rajadhyaksha, who has created a retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet out of 1857 Mughal history. While Alamgir followed a historically accurate track, the playwright has indulged his imagination with Lal Kuan.

Anshi Choksi, who's playing the role of Lady Georgina Metcalfe, a journalist who helps the king's son find his father, is another sixth-grader in a pivotal role. "Getting the role was a dream come true, but I was nervous to perform in front of so many people," she recalls. However, smaller practice performances during the school assembly have enabled the young actress to shed her inhibitions and enjoy the spotlight.

The end of these extensive six-month play projects invariably find students not only walking away wiser in the matters of the stage and Mughal history, but also richer in friends. "That was the biggest takeaway for them," explains Rajadhyaksha. "It's an awkward time for these kids who are just entering puberty. The play helped them all socialise irrespective of ages; the younger students felt that they were on equal footing with their seniors. I want to recreate that experience this year with Lal Kuan."

Although the responsibility for pulling off the play rests on Rajadhyaksha a couple of teachers from the drama department, help poured in from parents and students alike.

Among the batallion of parents who lent a hand was Hiral Dossa, a fashion designer, who sourced all the costumes. "I never expected the scale and perfection that those kids managed to pull off. It was incredible to watch it all come together – from the acting and dances to the precise backstage work," says Dossa, both of whose daughters are involved in backstage work for Lal Kuan.

Ninth-grader Rohan Vohra, one of the backstage hands for both plays, says that participating helped him explore theatre and become a better person. "Being a part of the crew brought a feeling of unity. We mapped the whole sequence out with Shantanu sir, so that we wouldn't miss a single cue. I learned life lessons like cooperation, responsibility and how to just take joy in the process," he explains. "Doing backstage opened up a whole new aspect of theatre for me!"

The biggest challenge Rajadhyakhsa faced while executing his dream was convincing people that the young actors can deliver excellence. "Hopefully, when they come to watch the play this year, they will have the same reaction as last year — surprised delight and a standing ovation."

Lal Kuan will stage on May 4 at Sophia Bhabha Hall, Mumbai

The plot

Alamgir traces the life of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb from his own perspective
Inspired by Hamlet, Lal Kuan takes place in Mughal era 1857 and traces the betrayal of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and the end of their regime