Curtains Rise on the 20th Edition of Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival

Hyderabad, November 8: The landmark 20th edition of the prestigious Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival opened to a full house with Outhouse, a heartwarming and humorous film featuring the legendary Sharmila Tagore as Adima Roy-Phatak and veteran actor Dr. Mohan Agashe as Nana Modak.

Following the screening, Senior Bureaucrat Ajay Mishra, IAS, felicitated the director of Outhouse for the film’s sensitive portrayal of intergenerational bonds and its gentle exploration of love, loss, and rediscovery. The gesture added a wonderful touch to the festival’s opening night, marking a fitting tribute to cinematic storytelling within a theatre festival setting.

Festival Curator Padma Shri Mohammad Ali Baig, in his inaugural address, reflected on the remarkable journey of the festival that now stands as a defining part of Hyderabad’s cultural identity.

“Even during the pandemic, when most festivals either paused or went virtual, we in Hyderabad chose to to do the shows, because, we had a commitment to the city and to the theatre.”

He described the festival’s unique, nomadic spirit as“a shelterless festival” that finds its home each year in the city’s diverse cultural spaces.

“We go around apni chhaya dhundhte hue, sharan talab karte hue, but the point is – there are two ways to look at life: to complain about what we don’t have, or to move ahead with what we do. And we chose the latter.”

Baig expressed gratitude to the Government of Telangana, the Department of Tourism, and the new Chief Minister, whose encouragement and support, he said, echo a shared commitment to nurturing the arts.

He also unveiled an innovative three-weekend format for this year’s festival, for making it accessible to the audiences. Each weekend will explore a distinct dimension of storytelling, spanning theatre, cinema, and interactive masterclasses.

This edition marks 20 years of the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s revival movement, which redefined the cultural chapter of Hyderabad’s history. With a clear vision of bringing theatre back to the city, Mohammed Ali Baig merged his father’s legendary dedication to the craft with his own corporate and ad filmmaking sensibilities.