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Sindhi
drama's origin can be found towards the end of the
19th century and during this period professional
drama groups from Bombay and other parts of India
visited Karachi, Hyderabad, Shikarpur and Sukkur
to stage plays in Gujarati and Urdu and Mirza Kalich
Beg wrote Sindhi plays for the first time.
Though Mirza had recourse to English literature,
he could claim some original works as well like
Laila Majnu in 1880, Khurshed in 1887 and Jehangir
in 1896 and Nadir Shah in 1897. The dramas, which
he wrote got published and remained as an inspiration
to other writers.Principal Jackson & Vice Principal
Padsah of D J Sind College helped to form the first
drama group in Sindh.
The Dayaram Jethmal Ssindh Colleg e Amateur Dramatic
Society staged Nal Damyanti ,which was written by
Master Jethanand Khilandas of Bhiria in 1894 ; the
play was based on an episode from Mahabharata.
There was good audience for the Sindhi plays.Only
male appeared on the Sindhi stage for 30 years and
the female role of Damyanti in Nal Damyanti when
it was staged in 1894 was assigned to Durgadas Advani,
a boy. But, then women also appeared on the stage.
A Sindhi girl appeared on the stage for the first
time in 1928.
Dr James H Cousins, who had seen The King's Wife
staged at Hyderabad in 1924 commented on the inefficacy
of a male - Kishoo Bhavnani - taking up the role
of a female - Mirabai. Thereafter, poet Harindranath
Chattopadhyay wanted a girl to take up the female
role in his play Returned from Abroad; accordingly
Valiram Thadani's daughter Gopi acted in Chattopadhyay's
play; being the first Sindhi girl to act on the
stage in Sindh. Valiram was a prominent actor of
the Hyderabad Pleaders' Club.
Eminent advocate Mr Achalsing Advani's daughter
Padmi has the distinction of being the grown up
Sindhi girl to act on the Sindhi stage; taking romantic
role of Marui.
The introduction of co-education in schools in 1930
paved the way for girls taking up acting, and the
parents agreed. Tirth, Hari and Gopi Sipahmalani
played in Bukh Jo Shikar; Khanchand S Daryani wrote
this, Rabindernath Literary and Dramatic Club staged
it in 1932.
Prof M U Malkani wrote and directed Anarkali; Nain
Mirchandani played the role of Anarkali. Other girls
who were on the stage were Vimla Vaswani, Indira.
Lila and Jasoti.
The playwrights selected domestic and social themes
for the plays. |
