Tumhari Amrita
| Tumhari Amrita | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Javed Siddiqui (Indian adaptation) |
| Characters | Amrita & Zulfi |
| Date premiered | 1992 |
| Place premiered | Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai |
Tumhari Amrita is a epistolary play directed by Feroz Abbas Khan. Its original cast includes Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh. It is an Indian context adaptation of A. R. Gurney's American play, Love Letters (1988), and the Hindi/Urdu version was created in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui. After its première at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai in February 1992, it has been staged at venues across India, Europe, US and Pakistan.
The story of unrequited love is read out through reams of love letters between Amrita Nigam and Zulfikar Haider, exchanged over 35 years, starting with Amrita's eighth birthday party in the 1940, when she first wrote to the ten-year-old Zulfi.
Following productions of The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1991), All the Best, and Eva Mumbai Ma Chaal JaiyeFeroz Abbas Khan read Pulitzer Prize-nominated Love Letters, (1988) by A. R. Gurney. In 1991 Feroz met Guerney in Mumbai, and the producer started working on the play. Feroz approached playwright and screenwriter Javed Siddiqui to work on script. Siddiqui in turn also liked the play and wrote it as a new play, set in Indian context to be produced under the banner of Javed Siddiqui Productions. Shabana Azmi and Farroque Shaikh agreed to play the leads. The central character of Amrita is reportedly based on bohemian Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil (1913–1941).
Tumhari Amrita made its début at the Jennifer Kapoor Festival held at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai in February 1992, under the direction of Feroz Abbas Khan, as tribute to Jennifer Kapoor on her birthday.
As per the direction, the actors do not memorize the script but read out the letters kept on their writing desks throughout the performance. The play lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Director Feroz Khan was apprehensive on the outset, feeling that the work was too experimental for Hindi audiences. The play has since toured the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan, performing over 300 shows and acquired a cult status.
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