MF Husain play to sneak into city

A play based on MF Husain’s life is set to return to Mumbai three years after it met with stringent opposition from Hindu rightwing groups. The play, Pencil se Brush tak, based on the painter’s autobiography MF Husain ki Kahani apni Zubani, is directed by Nadira Babbar and tells the story of his journey through struggle to his becoming patriarch.

Babbar, understandably, is cagey about the play, which has been dogged by saffron outfits wherever it has been staged. “I don’t want to speak about it. I can talk about any of my other plays… (but not this one) because this has to do with Husain saab,” Babbar told DNA. “I don’t want any kind of publicity.”

But Husain, who has collaborated on the play, is forthcoming. Speaking to DNA from Dubai, where he lives in exile, he said the play is going to be staged in the city soon. “I totally trust Nadira to do a great job. She has been staging the play for three years in Punjab, Maharashtra and other places. I knew Nadira’s father Sajjad Zaheer closely. He was a great figure, a revolutionary poet,” Husain said.

Elaborating on the play, Husain said it is not for everybody. “It is an adaptation of my autobiography, so obviously not everyone will be interested. The play is for a discerning audience.”

Husain keeps meeting Babbar in London to discuss the details. He also helps add new chapters to each production. “We sit together and yes, there is a lot of involvement from me in the play,” he said. “The production for Mumbai is going to be more or less about my emotional relationships, those with my father-in-law and others.”

And what about his relationships with women? Will those be explored too? “Watch the play, you will know,” he says, laughing, but quickly adds modestly, “I am just a painter. The credit goes to Nadira that she manages to make my life look interesting.”