Diamonds without dazzle

The other day while talking to my younger sibling about Mughal empire and emperors, we touched upon Jehangir’s name. When I told her about his other name, Salim, the spontaneous reply was ‘Oh that Anrakali guy’. How do you mention Salim without referring to Anarkali? Or should I say that’s how Indian cinema has affected our knowledge of history; too much of Mughal-e-Azam in our blood! But there’s one more story when we talk about Salim. A story not just about love and passion but also about lust, politics and ambition. That of Salim and Mehrunissa.

And this was the story veteran theatre director Aamir Raza Husain decided to narrate in his play Meher Nama for ITC hotel’s yearly production WelcomTheatre.

The play is basically a love story spanning three generations. It is the story of legendary empress Nur Jahan and of the emperors Akbar, Jahangir to Shah Jahan. A story of war and peace, rebellion and reconciliation, power and politics, but above all it is an epic of love undying, infinite — a romance that transcends generations, surpasses diversity, to become one of the most inspiring love stories.

Meher Nama opens with Prince Salim spotting Mehrunissa at the quarters of Bilqees Begum, his stepmother, and getting struck by both her beauty and wit. He asks his mother to let Mehrunissa, who was highly educated, teach him poetry. Along the way, they fall for each other — only for Mehrunissa to be married off to Sher Afghan.

Then follow years of waiting. Mehrunissa bears a girl, Ladli, and Salim ascends the throne as Emperor Jahangir. However, both pine for each other even while being married to different persons (in Salim’s case more than one person). The story goes on with the Mughal emperor Jehangir persuading Mehru to marry him after the death of her husband. Eventually, she acquises to his laments and requests and marries him, and Nur Jehan, the queen is born.

Though the play is named Meher Nama, it stretches on to give an insight into the love story of another Mughal prince — Khurram aka Shah Jehan. Despite strong and powerful dialogues delivery, the second part of the play seemed a dragged act. The director used the court intrigue, politics and the numerous wars as an apt way to present the story, yet despite beautiful costumes and actors, there seemed something missing in the whole act.

One of the most important highlight was the use of Urdu and Farsi couplets which added to the strength of dialogues, however, it would have been better if the actors didn’t seem in a hurry to take them out of their mouth. Few scenes though, without doubt were fabulous, especially the confrontations between Mahabat Khan and Mehru and Bilqees Begum and Mehru.