Rhymes of Love: An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Javed Akhtar & Shabana Azmi

RHYMES OF LOVE:

AN EVENING OF POETRY AND CONVERSATION WITH

JAVED AKHTAR & SHABANA AZMI (INDIA)

27 & 28 Apr

FRI & SAT, 7.30PM

Victoria Concert Hall

1h 30m, no intermission

MESSAGE FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR I grew up looking forward to the Singapore Arts Festival every year.

Watching shows across different genres from around the world played a big part in shaping my artistic sensibilities. Shows such as Ninagawa’s Macbeth (1992), for example, entirely changed my perception of how Shakespeare could be performed.

In 1996, I acted in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Sing To The Dawn; it was the first time a Singaporean musical opened the Singapore Arts Festival. Given this history, I was delighted and honoured to be asked to helm the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) for the next three years.

What is SIFA’s role? Where does it fit in the cultural landscape, both at home and internationally? Who does it serve?

Where would I like it to be in three years?

As I was thinking of how to shape the festival, what I did know was that I wanted to programme a festival that would inspire young people in the same way that I was impacted 25 years ago.

With the support of the phenomenal team at SIFA, I aspired to curate a season that would showcase different art forms and perspectives from Singapore and around the world. We also strove to programme a spectrum of shows that would appeal to a variety of audiences, from the first-time festival-goer to the seasoned art lover.

We believe we have programmed artists who are game-changers in their fields.

In parallel, discussions commenced with several of the game-changers in the Singapore arts scene. One of SIFA’s roles is to commission and facilitate the creation of new Singaporean work – giving artists the time and resources to develop shows over a two- or three-year horizon. We look forward to presenting the culmination of this process in SIFA 2019 and 2020.

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Two memorable experiences from arts festivals I have attended around the world have been the free outdoor performances, and a festival ‘village’ — a place where artists and audiences can meet after a show and discuss what they’ve just seen. Both these elements can be found in SIFA 2018. The free outdoor programmes on the opening and closing weekends have some sensational performances to be enjoyed with family and friends. Over these three weeks, The Arts House will become Festival House.

It will be the heartbeat of SIFA with performances, lectures, readings, music salons and, of course, a place to just hang out and chat. Artists will give talks, conduct masterclasses or host Q&As, and hopefully we will build relationships with them that last beyond the festival.

A key initiative that I introduced this year is the $10 front-row student ticket. I want the next generation of Singaporeans to know that they matter to SIFA. My hope is that they will fall in love with the arts in the same way I did at their age.

I would like to thank Sarah Martin and the incredible team of people I work with at SIFA and at Arts House Limited. Despite the tight six-month runway to programme this festival, they have been nothing short of amazing and have worked tirelessly to produce a festival that we hope resonates with you as much as it does with us.

Most of all, thank you for your support. The scope, breadth and reach of shows in SIFA will continue to grow over the next three years. We look forward to taking you on this exciting journey with us.

Gaurav Kripalani Festival Director

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Festivals bring people together to celebrate causes or to mark momentous occasions. Arts festivals allow us to not only appreciate the arts, they allow us to experience and form lasting and transformative memories. It is through shared experiences that we come to form communities.

The inaugural Singapore Festival of Arts began in 1977 as a national showcase of the vibrant art forms found within Singapore’s diverse communities. In its many evolutions over the last four decades, the Festival has touched countless hearts, created invaluable experiences for many, and inspired even more to embrace the arts. From a time when Singapore was widely perceived as a cultural desert, the Festival has played an instrumental role in developing Singapore’s arts landscape and shaped the city-state into one of Asia’s leading cultural capitals.

This year, SIFA 2018 marks the 41st year and kicks off a new era with Gaurav Kripalani at the helm as Festival Director for 2018 – 2020. Condensed into 17 days of artistic adventures, it is our hope that

this exhilarating three-week format will create robust artistic engagement for a spectrum of diverse audiences. The Arts House will be transformed into the Festival House, and within its intimate spaces, there will be meaningful discourses on the various themes presented in the festival.

Built upon the foundation and achievements of those who came before, SIFA is the sum of many parts made possible by a team of many talents who has worked tirelessly and passionately to deliver the Festival Director’s vision.

I thank everyone who has had a hand in shaping the Singapore International Festival of Arts into a tradition for both new and existing audiences and making it the stalwart of Singapore’s dedication to artistic excellence.

Gaurav and the team have put together a festival of multiple layers allowing you to make up your own artistic adventures.

It is my hope that you will walk away with unique memories of the Festival.

Sarah Martin CEO, Arts House Limited

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MESSAGE FROM THE ARTIST I have a history of performing in Singapore having starred in two plays presented by the Singapore Repertory Theatre – Nora in 1997 and Betrayal in 2005 – and they were very enriching experiences. I have also brought my plays Tumhari Amrita (with Farooque Shaikh), Kaifi Aur Main (with Javed Akhtar) and Broken Images here several times and I was heartened to see the audience being very appreciative and welcoming of our work.

Javed also has a significant fan following in Singapore and we look forward to our presentation of Rhymes of Love at the Singapore International Festival of Arts. I believe that poetry has ways of connecting with people on several levels. Some are consciously aware of its impact whereas for others, the effect may take root in a more subtle, subliminal manner.

We are also excited about interacting with the audience after the poetry recitation because the performance then transforms into a platform where a rich exchange of ideas can take place.

Shabana Azmi

PROGRAMME NOTES Javed Akhtar, noted Indian scriptwriter, lyricist and poet, and his wife Shabana Azmi, renowned actress and activist come together for a mesmerising evening of poetry followed by an invigorating conversation on poetry, cinema, the arts and social issues. Javed, an eminent writer who is also a social activist and commentator, will recite a selection of his poetry in Urdu while Shabana complements his recitation with translations of the poems in English.

The duo hail from well-known Indian families distinguished in the arts. Javed continues a family lineage of Urdu writers spanning seven generations, while Shabana is the daughter of Kaifi Azmi, considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of the 20th century, and Shaukat Kaifi a well-known stage actress. Both have the distinct honour of being given the National Award five times in their respective fields.

They are also the only couple in the history of India’s Parliament to have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House) by the President of India.

THE CREATIVE TEAM Presented by: Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi Moderated by: Rakhshanda Jalil Produced by: Shweta Asnani and Karishma Khanna (Teamwork Productions)

Special thanks to Zee TV for their publicity support 4

THE PERFORMERS SHABANA AZMI Shabana Azmi, one of India’s most acclaimed actors, known internationally for her work in cinema and as a social activist, is the daughter of renowned poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi. She made her film debut in 1974 and took arthouse cinema by storm with her fine acting skills. In a multi-faceted career spanning 40 years, she has played the lead in more than 140 films in Hindi and in several international films, having worked with celebrated directors such as Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen, Shekhar Kapur, to name a few.

She has acted in numerous international films including Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children and Fire; Roland Joffe’s City of Joy co-starring Patrick Swayze; and John Schlesinger’s Madam Sousatzka co-starring Shirley Maclaine A recipient of a record five National Film Awards for Best Actress and several international honours such as the International Film Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Best Actress Award at the Chicago Film Festival, she has also received five Filmfare Awards, and the Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian honour of the country. Theatre credits include The Waiting Room for National Theatre (London), Nora and Betrayal for Singapore Repertory Theatre and Happy Birthday Sunita for Rifco Arts UK. TV credits include Next of Kin for ITV Capital for BBC amongst many others.

She has been Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), Shabana Azmi and a nominated member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha). She was chosen by Time magazine as one of 25 Asian heroes and the only woman among four Indian individuals to have made a difference. She is married to famous poet and screenwriter, Javed Akhtar.

JAVED AKHTAR Renowned poet, lyricist, script-writer, and social activist Javed Akhtar belongs to a family rich with the lineage of writers: he is the son of well-known Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar; Muzter Khairabad, his grandfather, too was a legend in Urdu poetry. Javed Akhtar is India’s most respected screenplay writers. Along with former partner Salim he wrote Sholay Deewar Don and is credited with creating the angry young man persona of Amitabh Bachchan.

He is a recipient of some of Government of India’s highest honours: the Padma Shri (1999), the Padma Bhushan (2007),the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as five National Film Awards and 15 Filmfare Awards, considered to be India’s Oscars.

Javed’s first collection of poems, Tarkash, received rave reviews both as a book and as India’s first audio book. Dr. David Matthews, formerly Senior Lecturer in Urdu at the School of Oriental and an African Studies (SOAS), translated Tarkash in English and celebrated painter M.F. Husain painted sixteen canvases based on it.

As one of India’s foremost rationalists and social commentators, Javedji has written a large number of poems against communalism and social injustice and on national integration and women’s rights. Two definitive works on Indian cinema Talking Films and Talking Songs, published by Oxford University Press, have featured Javed Akhtar in conversation with journalist Nasreen Munni Kabir.

Javed was nominated to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) by the President of India in 2010. He is one of the architects of the path-breaking Copyright 5

Amendment Bill passed by both Houses of the Parliament which finally allowed copyright royalties to writers and music directors. A multi-faceted personality, Javed Akhtar is also a celebrated television anchor and has featured in the list of India’s 50 most powerful people by the India Today magazine.

He is married to celebrated actress Shabana Azmi and his daughter Zoya is a successful writer director. His son Farhan Akhtar has carved a niche for himself as a writer, director producer, actor and singer.

THE MODERATOR RAKHSHANDA JALIL Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil is a writer, critic and literary historian. She has published over 15 books and written over 50 academic papers and essays. Her book on the lesser-known monuments of Delhi, Invisible City, continues to be a bestseller while her debut collection of fiction, Release & Other Stories (2011), received critical acclaim.

Her recent works include a biography of Urdu feminist writer Dr. Rashid Jahan titled A Rebel and Her Cause (2014); The Death of Sheherzad (2014), a translation of 15 short stories by Intizar Husain; and a translation of Intizar Husain’s seminal novel on Karachi, The Sea Lies Ahead (2015), which won the KLF Peace Prize awarded by the Karachi Litfest and the German Embassy. She runs an organisation called Hindustani Awaaz, which is devoted to the popularisation of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture. She is also the recipient of the Kaifi Azmi Award for her contribution to Urdu literature.

THE PRODUCER SHWETA ASNANI After working in New York’s fashion scene following her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Shweta moved to Singapore in 2000. She established Teamwork Productions in 2001 in collaboration with Teamwork Films India. Teamwork has since gone on to create platforms for promoting performing artists from India and all over the world in Singapore. Its first major collaboration was with the Indian High Commission in 2001, which resulted in the highly acclaimed ‘Celebrating India’ festival. This was followed by a 12-year collaboration with Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay on Kalaa Utsavam - Indian Festival of the Arts which featured the best of Indian music, dance and theatre. Another of the company’s achievements is the Asian Festival of First Films (2005 - 2009) which was supported by the Media Development Authority. This festival celebrated first time film makers in the fields of directing, producing and acting, amongst other categories. Over the last 17 years under Shweta’s guidance and direction, Teamwork has carved a niche in the market for presenting the best productions and for its innovative programming. Teamwork produced the high profile celebrity concert Bollywood Extravaganza with Shah Rukh Khan in 2005. Since then they have presented renowned artists like Ghulam Ali, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, L Subramaniam, Hariharan, Indian Ocean and many more. They have also programmed and produced shows like Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi… and Sounds of Sufi.

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I am fond of saying that Shabana and I are such good friends that even marriage could not destroy our friendship! Or perhaps it is because we are both so busy that the ennui of married life does not get a chance to slip in. My poem Shabana sprung from a hectic period in our lives where we were constantly moving in our own orbits and would only meet each other fleetingly.

Love manifests in different ways. In my mind, what constitutes as love is mutual respect, friendship and giving each other space. This is the essence of our marriage that is captured in this piece.

Javed Akhtar

Shabana

These daily disturbances These constant journeys Rushing here and there Meeting this person and that one All our moments Seems as if We are travellers At a railway station Hurriedly searching for our carriages Before the train departs Who don’t even have the time to breathe Sometimes it appears as if We don’t even have the leisure For it to occur to me To meet the other And yet when this unfeeling world breaks my heart Whenever approahing hope Suddenly turns away from me Whenever a flower of happiness Blooms in my heart

Whenever my mind Gifts me a thought Whenever my heart feels empty In the wake of a fulfilled desire Whenever pain threads Pearls of tears on my eyelashes It’s then that I realize That when happiness, sorrow or surprise When any emotion Turns a corner There, for a moment The whole world gets left behind There, for a moment The strings of this puppet-like life Get snapped At this bend All I need is you But this is one of life’s beautiful truths That whenever such a bend has come in my path There, on every such turn I have found you walking alongside me

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ABOUT SIFA Into its 41st year, Singapore International Festival of Arts 2018 presents diverse and distinctive work from Singapore and around the world that ignites the imagination, inspires myriad audiences, and provokes reflection and dialogue.

Get ready for a plethora of theatre, music, dance, literary and visual arts at the pinnacle national arts festival that will happen over three weeks from 26 April to 12 May, and across ten performance spaces, including the Festival House, located at The Arts House.

ABOUT ARTS HOUSE LIMITED Arts House Limited (AHL) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching lives through the arts.

AHL manages two key landmarks located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – The Arts House, a multi-disciplinary arts centre with a focus on literary programming, and the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall, a heritage building that is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. It also runs the Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, two creative enclaves for artists, arts groups and creative businesses, and performing arts space Drama Centre. AHL presents the Singapore International Festival of Arts, the annual pinnacle celebration of performance and interdisciplinary arts in Singapore commissioned by the National Arts Council.

AHL was set up in 11 Dec 2002 as a company limited by guarantee (CLG) under the National Arts Council and was formerly known as The Old Parliament House Limited. It was officially renamed Arts House Limited on 19 Mar 2014.

AHL BOARD Chairperson: Christine Ong Members: Chong Yuan Chien, Deborah Ho, Kelvin Ang, Lynette Pang, Madeleine Lee, Maniza Jumabhoy, Mok Wei Wei, Ong Chao Choon, Ong Choon Fah, Paul Tan, Sarah Martin (Ex-Officio)

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS THE SIFA TEAM Chief Executive Officer: Sarah Martin Festival Director: Gaurav Kripalani Chief Financial Officer: Yong Yuet Mei Advisor: J P Nathan Head, Programming: Jobina Tan Head, Production: Cindy Yeong Head, Marketing: Jasmine Gan Head, Communications: Carolyn Tay Head, Partnership Development: Payal Michelle Parekhji Assistant Head, Event Services Management: Emma Izzabella Tagoe PROGRAMMING Producers: Sara Joan Fang, Rydwan Anwar, Ye Junmin Senior Manager: Lisa Marie Lip Senior Manager, Place Making: Natalie Tan Managers: Kong Yen Lin, Shridar Mani, Pang Su Li Assistant Manager: Alicia Chong PRODUCTION Production Managers: Christopher Chua, Natalie Lim Production Co-ordinators: Celestine Wong, Melissa Chin Technical Co-ordinators: Huang Xiangbin, David Li Production Assistant: Chong Wee Nee MARKETING Senior Managers: Elizabeth Wong, Winnie Chan Assistant Manager: Koay Yi Ling Senior Designers: Muhammad Hakim bin Rahim, Md Firdaus bin Wari Executives: Diana Othman, Juliana Tan Interns: Clara Janssen, Lim Yi Shuen, Michelle Chia COMMUNICATIONS Assistant Manager: Willy Beh Wei Hong Intern: Rifdi Jaffar TICKETING Executive: Nor Limah binte Ja’ffar PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Manager: Norita Senin Executive: Tan Yanru EVENT SERVICES MANAGEMENT Frontof-house Hospitality Manager: Dorothy Neo Front-of-House Manager: Mohd Afham bin Abbas Back-of-House Hospitality Manager: Nursheehana binte Akbal Ahmad Event Services Manager: Johnson Kee Secretariat Manager: Carine Lee Transport Manager: Syafiq Zulkepli FINANCE Manager: Vivian Gan Executives: Mandy Choo, Lai Zhi Ying, Priyasini D/O Balachandran HUMAN RESOURCE Manager: Noraliza Ramli Senior Executive: Elaine Neo ADMINISTRATION Manager, Arts: Liza Mustapha Executive: Norhanim binte Mohamed Tayib 10

DON’T MISS

THESE OTHER PRODUCTIONS IN THE FESTIVAL

BY SA X

BY TOY FACTORY PRODUCTIONS (SG)

30 Apr & 1 May, Mon & Tue

SOTA Studio Theatre

4 & 5 May, Fri & Sat

BY AMER

NADA X BRANDON TAY (SG)

Play Den, Festival House (The Arts House)

HLEHEL (PS)

) (US Victoria Theatre

4 & 5 May, Fri & Sat

Photo by Paul Marotta

4 & 5 May, Fri & Sat

KC Arts Centre Home of SRT

BY BALLET PRELJOCAJ (FR)

BY L-E-V DANCE

COMPANY (IL)

5 & 6 May, Sat & Sun

SOTA Drama Theatre

BY SCHAUBÜHNE

11 & 12 May, Fri & Sat

9 & 10 May, Wed & Thu

SOTA Drama Theatre Photo by Jean-Claude Carbonne

BERLIN (DE) Esplanade Theatre Photo by Arno Declair

SOTA Drama Theatre

12 May, Sat

Photo by Ana Cuba

FREE

PROGRAMMES AND MORE Photo by E+N

…Sodade… BY Cirque Rouages (FR) 27 – 29 Apr, Fri – Sun | Empress Lawn

Duke Ellington Orchestra (US) 12 May, Sat | Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, Singapore Botanic Gardens

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