What if, in the future, people kept aside funds for their children's hair health? This is to avoid the awkward situation, where men who grow bald don't find a woman who will marry them
Ashique Hussain
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What if, in the future, people kept aside funds for their children's hair health? This is to avoid the awkward situation, where men who grow bald don't find a woman who will marry them. This and other thoughts are part of a solo tragic-comedy play, Shaadi Kara Do Baba, to be performed this Thursday.
The play has been written, directed and performed by Ashique Hussain and produced by Ashwath Bhatt of Theatre Garage Project. "Although the play is about seven years old, it has evolved over the years. Every time we bring it to stage, it has a new format, writing and thoughts so that it stays contemporary and real," says Bhatt.
The play is loosely based on Urdu/Hindi writer Krishan Chander's story Ganja, and incorporates real life incidents and anecdotes from Hussain's own life. It is the story of an average-looking man, who has a good job, is articulate and kind-hearted and can even do the salsa, but is bald. The man has no choice but to go to a religious guru for enlightenment on the subject. He then embarks on a voyage in search of his soulmate through the Internet.
The duo thought of the play when they were studying in London. "Hussain realised that while Indians will stare at you if you are bald, abroad, nobody cares. When he came back to India, and his parents started discussing marriage, the common refrain he heard was, 'baaki sab theek hai, but ladka ganja hai'. His baldness had become a taboo," says Bhatt. They decided to turn this topic into a show — it started out as a 15-minute monologue and is now a one-hour long show with song and dance.