In the 2020 Netflix film Yeh Ballet, Nizamuddin J Shah played the brother of the ballet dancer who supported him in a big way. In real life too, he can be found training a bunch of slum kids in street theatre under the Vashi Flyover or the Wadala Park in Mumbai.
Street plays are powerful message amplifiers and 25-year-old Shah is gearing up with his team to perform in the villages around the metropolis to talk about vaccinations. “We mix local language, film songs, humour and social message to entertain audiences,” he says.
Maharashtra was in lockdown earlier this year, suspending street plays. Street theatre needs people coming together to watch. “We plan to recruit volunteers who will ensure that social distancing is followed. After all, we are trying to create awareness about Covid facts,” he adds.
The Marathi street plays that Shah directs normally last about 20-30 minutes and are performed in places with good floating crowds. The actors are from the nearby slums. Shah has trained 200 kids so far, including Tanvi Bharve and Mansi Ghatge who are now full-time TV actors. “Picking up a child from the slum, putting him or her under the spotlight and giving them a chance to speak itself does wonders to their personality,” he says.
Shah takes about a week to train the child actors in voice modulation, dialogue delivery, body language and music. “They feel privileged to be part of social change which gives them enormous confidence,” remarks Shah. He mentions Sushma Jaiswal who started giving tuitions after doing three street plays since she said “she wasn’t worthless and can earn through her knowledge”.
In these days of WhatsApp status message videos and YouTube shorts, where does street theatre stand? “Street theatre is live, customised for the audience, and is interactive. In middle-class Mumbai, it works best to deliver the message,” he says. A possible reason why the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had approached him to stage street plays about Swachh Bharat, tuberculosis, cancer and vaccination in the past. Being out on the street is a good thing sometimes.