Salima Raza's career in theatre, broadcasting and Television spans over 50 years.She has played stellar roles in such acknowledged plays as' Kanjoos ', Dinner With the Family' (both of which won her the best actress awards, Delhi Natya sangh) 'Aazar Ka Khwab' ', Govt Inspector,'' Atmakatha, ' Char Chaughi,' Sonata' ', Erendira' and ‘Nati Bonodini’, the last winning her META Award as best actress 2006.
She has worked with Akashvani, Doordarshan, BBC, Radio Kuwait and Radio Oman as senior broadcaster over the last 50 years.She has consistently worked in meaningful theater, scripting and acting in such productions as 'Dhage Prem Ke' (on communal harmony) Yeh Ishq Nahin Asan'(On concept of love in Urdu poetry) Yadon Ki Barat' (autobiography of Josh Malihabadi)'Main Kaun Hun' (Search for identity in women poets of India and Pakistan). She has specialized in translation and adaptation of well known plays, important among these were “Erindra” (based on a short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and “Nati Binodini” (based on Atmakatha, an autobiography of the famous Bangla actress Binodini).
Salima has been teaching 'Speech in Theatre' and ‘Public Speaking' at DADA, the Dramatic Arts and Design Academy in Delhi' and has been scripting and presenting a Radio magazine for the blind on Vividh Bharti.
Her first public performance in Delhi was in 1958 with Delhi Art Theatre under the direction of Sheela Bhatia. At the age of nineteen, she chose to play the role of “Bi Farzina”, the loud mouth, wily and wicked “go between”. The role was challenging and juicy and she was given the best supporting actress award for that year by the Delhi Natya Sangh.
Salima joined Unity theatre in 1960. Unity theatre at that time performed mostly in spaces around the residence of the committed members of the group. They performed “Sabrina” in the back garden for Joy’s Kaka Nagar flat and cast included Roshan Seth, Kusum Behal, Marcus Murch, Nigam Prakash and Aftab Seth. Among her other plays with Unity were ‘Faust’, ‘The Lark’ and ‘Dinner with the Family’. She won the Delhi Natya Sangh best supporting actor for this play. All plays performed by Unity Theatre were in English.
Yatrik were founded as a bilingual repertory company in 1964 with the objective of providing regular sustained performances of theatre and building up an audience in Delhi. Her fellow founder members of Yatrik were Joy Michael, Rati Bartholomew, Kusum Haider, Sushma Seth, Marcus Murch, Roshan Seth and Nigam Prakash. Yatrik’s first play was “Abe Lincoln in Illinois”, directed by Tom Noonan, which had many successful shows in the schools of Delhi as well as some hill stations such as Nainital, Massoori and Shimla.
Gogol’s The Govt. Inspector directed by Nigam Prakash was Yatrik’s first Hindi presentation. The cast included T.P Jain, Roshan Seth, Kewal Kapoor, Sushma Seth and Salima. They had managed to rent the small Film Division Auditorium at Mahadev Road, behind All India Radio. The stage was very narrow, hardly suitable for theatre, but somehow managed with painted backdrops and minimal sets to create good theatre which drew an enthusiastic audience every weekend.
‘Hotel Paradiso’ by George’s Feydeau, a hilarious French comedy directed by Tom Noonan was the next Yatrik production in which Salima acted with Nigam Prakash, Joy Machael, Aftab Seth, Roshan Seth, Sushma Mehra, Kusum Behal and Marcus Murch.
Yatrik’s Urdu production of ‘Azar Ka Khwab’, adapted from Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion by Begum Zaidi and directed by T.P Jain, created quite stir in the theatre world in Delhi. An instant hit with critics and audience. This play ran for many months over the weekends. She played the principal role of Hajjo, “The Amrood Wali” with Nigam Prakash, Sushma Mehra, Kewal Kapoor, Ashok Sareen, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Sarwat Khan.
In 1970, Salima played the central character of a blind woman in the Hindi translation of Frederick’s ‘Wait Until Dark’ titled “Andhera Hone Do”. Himanshu Bhaduri, Giri and Chaman Bagga were onstage with me.
After thirty years in the Gulf countries, where she was deeply involved in promoting Indian culture and theatre among the non-resident Indians, Salima returned to India in 1996.
In this renewed phase of theatre activity, Salima started with “Autobiography”, a translation of the Marathi “Atam Katha” by Mahesh Elkunchwar. The play was directed by Lillette Dubey and onstage with her were Vinod Nagpal, Lillette Dubey and Lovleen Mishra.
In March 1999, Amal Allana directed for Theatre & Television Associates, the powerful Prashant Dalvi play “Char Chaughi” (Four Ordinary Women) at the B.C Pal Auditorium. Salima was cast in the principal role and with her, among others, was Mona Chawla, Alka Amin and Poonam Girdhani. ‘Sonata’ a play by Mahesh Elkunchwar directed by Amal Allana was another production of TTA featured Mona Chawla, Kusum Haider amd Salima Raza in the lead roles.
Theatre &Television Associates mounted their next production at LTG, Mandi House in 2003. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Erendira & Her Heartless Grandmother was directed by Amal Allana and cast included Kusum Haider, Swaroopa Ghose, Natasha Rastogi, Kanav Kashyap and Salima. It was a land mark and highly successful production. More than seventy shows were performed all over India and in many foreign countries as part of various theatre festivals.
In February 2000, She acted in Amal Allana’s TTA presentation “Kaho Katha Khajuraho”.
In August 2003, She acted with her two aunts Zohra Sehgal and Uzra Butt in Madiha Gauhar’s Pakistani play “Aik Thi Nani” at India Habitat Centre.
TTA presented “Nati Binodini” (based on the actress’ autobiography Amar Katha) at LTG. I played Binodini and we travelled with the play all over India, Pakistan and USA, performing the total of around sixty shows.
Salima has travelled extensively with her plays,both in India and abroad. She has currently scripted, directed and acted in “Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan” a play based on the letters of Faiz Ahmad Faiz and his wife Alys, marking the Faiz Centenary, which has been selected by National School of Drama among the best plays of 2011-2012, to be performed in their Annual Festival, Bharat Rang Mahotsav. She also directed the play “Ek Kutte Ki Kahani” on the life and writings of Sadat Hassan Manto as part of the Manto centenary celebrations organized by The Urdu Akademy, Delhi, in November 2012, this play was selected as one of the best plays of 2012 and was staged in the prestigious festival “Bhartendu Natya Utsav” organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi.
Both these plays were a presentation of “Wings Cultural Society”.
Salima Raza is at present involved with Wings Cultural Society as their creative director since 2009, a group of young, vibrant and committed theatre enthusiast.
