“Kaneez is about two souls finding connection through music” – Randhir Ranjan Roy
Theatre veteran Randhir Ranjan Roy has been directing plays for years. ‘Kaneez’, however, is a special project for him. Based on the romance between Tanno Bai, a celebrated tawaif from the 1920s and Dharikshan Tiwari, a priest, the musical will premiere on November 28 at Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium, Mumbai. There will another show on November 29 as well.
In this interview, Randhir talks about putting together a musical that depicts a love story that transcended social boundaries, taking inspiration from real-life incidents, paying a homage to Meena Kumari and more.
‘Kaneez’ explores the relationship between a Hindu pandit and a Muslim tawaif. Given the times we live in, was there ever a fear in your mind about it attracting some kind of controversy?
I have made a musical that depicts a love saga. I don’t think a project of this nature should invite any form of controversy. We are not talking about any religion here. ‘Kaneez’ is about two souls finding connection through music. The play has bhajans as well as mujras. We have been mindful of the sensitiveness of the subject and have portrayed it in a way that it will not affect anybody’s feelings.
The play seems to be based on real-life events. Do you remember the moment when you decide to write something on this particular subject?
After my last play ‘Ek Haan’, which was on the life of Manto (Shekhar Suman played the protagonist), I was looking for a subject which is close to Indian music. I wanted to work on ‘Pakeezah’ but due to copyright-based issues, I could not proceed further. Around that time, I happened to read this story of Tanno Bai and started working on its story. I was able to weave a musical story around it. I hope the story stays with the audience long after they finish watching the play.
Why do you call it a tribute to Meena Kumari?
The ‘tragedy queen’ of Indian cinema has left a huge mark on Bollywood through her beauty and acting. As I mentioned, I could not create a musical out of her last masterpiece ‘Paakezah’. However, the look and feel of ‘Kaneez’ is quite similar to Meena ji’s character in ‘Paakezah’.
Despite our films being musicals, the concept of broadway musicals did not pick up in India for a very long time. That seems to be changing now.
A large number of people in our country listen to Indian classical music. This huge listener base will always be there. We should always be proud of our rich musical heritage. Our experiments with musicals with an Indian classical background has been quite limited. However, whenever such a thing has been put together, it has been appreciated by the audience. ‘Kaneez’ has flavours of thumris like ‘Yaad Piya Ki Aaye’ and ‘Rangisaari’. I am sure the audience will be thoroughly engaged while watching this strong love story we have put together. In the near future, we should see many more musicals being made.
You have got singers like Shaan, Papon, and Javed Ali and Kirti Killedar on board for this musical. How long did it take for you to put together the music for this production?
We worked on the music for almost ten months. We have tried to offer the audience music that is soulful and meaningful. Shaan has sung a soulful bhajan. Javed has rendered the classic thumri ‘Yaad Piya Ki Aayi’. Papon has sung a beautiful original romantic song which serves as the theme of the play. Kirti will be singing all the new mujras and classical ‘Rangisari’ live.
The play features several interesting actors. How long did the casting process take?
We worked on the casting process for 4-5 months. We were looking for a blend of seasoned theatre actors and fresh faces. We have the veteran Jaya Bhattacharya and Sanjay Swaraj along with younger actors like Siddharth Nigam and Rayo Bakhirta.
What kind of response do you expect from the audience?
I am sure the audience will enjoy the play and recommend others to watch it as well. The positive word-of-mouth should ensure our play turns out to be a success. Apart from the plot, I expect the audience to be appreciative of the music and the sets.
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