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{{Infobox play
| name = Tumhari Amrita
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| writer = [[Javed Siddiqi]] (Indian adaptation)
| chorus =
| characters = Amrita & Zulfi
| mute =
| setting =
| premiere = February 27, 1992
| place = [[Prithvi Theatre]], Mumbai
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'''''Tumhari Amrita''''' is an epistolary play directed by [[Feroz Abbas Khan]]. Its original cast includes [[Shabana Azmi]] and [[Farooq Shaikh]].<ref name=tt>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104175828/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-02/hyderabad/28353153_1_love-letters-amrita-and-zulfi-shabana-azmi With Love, Tumhari Amrita] ''[[The Times of India]]'', Feb 2, 2011,</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article1105341.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | first=Chithira | last=Vijaykumar | title=On a creative high | date=January 20, 2011}}</ref> It is an Indian context adaptation of [[A. R. Gurney]]'s American play, ''[[Love Letters (play)|Love Letters]]'' (1988), and the Hindi/Urdu version was created in 1992 by playwright [[Javed Siddiqui]]. After its première at [[Prithvi Theatre]], Mumbai on 27 February 1992, it has been staged at venues across India, Europe, Middle East, US and Pakistan.<ref name=tt/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121025001212/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-21/others/28019477_1_shabana-azmi-tumhari-amrita-audience Their letters won our hearts] [[The Times of India]], TNN 21 January 2009.</ref>

The story of unrequited love is read out through reams of love letters between Amrita Nigam and Zulfikar Haider, exchanged over 35 years, starting with Amrita's eighth birthday party in the 1940s, when she first wrote to the ten-year-old Zulfi.<ref name=tt/><ref name=gu/>

==Development==
Following productions of ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' (1991), ''All the Best'', and ''Eva Mumbai Ma Chaal Jaiye''<ref name=hi/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Feroz-Khan/articleshow/30978069.cms|title=Feroz Khan|date=Dec 11, 2002|work=Times of India}}</ref> [[Feroz Abbas Khan]] read Pulitzer Prize-nominated ''[[Love Letters (play)|Love Letters]]'', (1988) by [[A. R. Gurney]]. In 1991 Feroz met Guerney in Mumbai, and the producer started working on the play. Feroz approached playwright and screenwriter [[Javed Siddiqui]] to work on script. Siddiqui in turn also liked the play and wrote it as a new play, set in Indian context to be produced under the banner of Javed Siddiqui Productions. [[Shabana Azmi]] and Farooque Shaikh agreed to play the leads.<ref name=sc>[http://www.screenindia.com/news/Writing-its-own-destiny/391453/ Writing its own destiny] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120911002033/http://www.screenindia.com/news/Writing-its-own-destiny/391453/ |date=2012-09-11 }} [[Screen (magazine)]], Namita Nivas, Nov 28, 2008.</ref> The central character of Amrita is based on bohemian Indian painter [[Amrita Sher-Gil]] (1913–1941).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060822212419/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/08/13/stories/2006081300290200.htm Digital encounters] ''[[The Hindu]]'', August 13, 2006.</ref>

==Staging history==
''Tumhari Amrita'' made its début at the Jennifer Kapoor Festival held at [[Prithvi Theatre]], [[Mumbai]] on 27 February 1992, under the direction of [[Feroz Abbas Khan]], as tribute to [[Jennifer Kapoor]] on her birthday.<ref name=hi>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/theatre/article55758.ece|title=In the spotlight: The best of director Feroz Khan will be on stage at the Old World Theatre Festival|date=November 27, 2009|work=The Hindu|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

As per the direction, the actors do not memorize the script but read out the letters kept on their writing desks throughout the performance. The play lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Director Feroz Khan was initially apprehensive about its popularity, feeling that the work was experimental for mass audiences. Its stupendous success came as a surprise to the creative team as well. [[Tumhari Amrita]] has since toured the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan, performing over 300 shows and acquired a cult status.<ref name=tt/><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990901/ile01088.html Action Replay]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} ''[[Indian Express]], 1 September 1999.</ref>

The February 2006 shows, in Karachi and Islamabad in Pakistan, were performed to raise money for earthquake victims.<ref name=gu>{{cite news|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/printArticle.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=73842&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23|title=Shabana to stage quake fund-raiser play|date=22 February 2006|work=Gulf Times}}</ref> In a 2009 interview, [[Shabana Azmi]] said, "Amrita is the character I've enjoyed playing the most in my entire career."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-27/news-interviews/28061730_1_wonderful-afterlife-shabana-azmi-zulfi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182508/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-27/news-interviews/28061730_1_wonderful-afterlife-shabana-azmi-zulfi|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|title=There's an Amrita and Zulfi in all of us: Shabana|date=Nov 27, 2009}}</ref> The play returned to Prithvi Theatre in November 2010 during the eight-day festival of 'Jana Natya Manch' (Janam), a theatre company set up by [[Safdar Hashmi]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/theatre-for-theatre/714865/0|title=Theatre for theatre|date=Nov 26, 2010|work=Indian Express}}</ref> The play celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a full house performance at [[Bandra Fort]] in Mumbai.<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebrating 20 years of tumhari Amrita|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-01/bollywood/31111232_1_amrita-and-zulfi-shabana-azmi-shaukat-azmi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102070514/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-01/bollywood/31111232_1_amrita-and-zulfi-shabana-azmi-shaukat-azmi |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=Mar 1, 2012 }}</ref> The last staging of this show was in the quadrangle of the historic [[Taj Mahal]] in Agra on 14 December 2013. It was the first time a performance was held in the quadrangle of the historic monument to love. The performance received a warm standing ovation. <https://web.archive.org/web/20140116115205/http://tajliteraturefestival.com/programs.html>

==Reception==
After its 2006 performance in Pakistan, leading daily ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'', ran a headline, "Shabana, Farooque Enthral Audience", while another ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]'''s feature on the play said "From India with Love".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060222/main7.htm|title=Shabana, Farooque enthral theatre lovers in Pakistan|date=February 22, 2006|work=The Tribune}}</ref>

==Legacy==
After the success of ''Tumhari Amrita'', the sequel ''Aapki Soniya,'' also written by Javed Siddiqui, had its premiere at [[Prithvi Theatre]], Juhu, on September 28, 2004. It was directed by Salim Arif and lead roles performed by [[Sonali Bendre]] and [[Farooque Shaikh]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/local-news/archivefullstory.php?newsid=99754&creation_date=2004-09-16|title=Soaking in the spotlight|date=September 16, 2004|work=Indian Express}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The play was also adopted in 1998 in [[Marathi language]] as ''Prempatra'' (''Love Letter'') and was directed by [[Waman Kendre]] with [[Neena Kulkarni]] playing the lead role.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980415/10550954.html | title=Credit that counts | newspaper=[[Indian Express]] | date=April 15, 1998 | accessdate=December 22, 2012 | author=Poojari, Chatura}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.today/20130123033600/http://www.ferozkhan.com/fz_amritasynopsis.htm ''Tumhari Amrita''] at [[Feroz Abbas Khan]] website
* {{cite news |title=Shreya Ray, A love letter to Indian theatre: ‘Tumhari Amrita’ completes 20 years..|url=http://www.livemint.com/2012/03/02213215/A-love-letter-to-Indian-theatr.html |newspaper=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint newspaper]] |date=March 2, 2012 }}

[[Category:Indian plays]]
[[Category:1992 plays]]
[[Category:Plays based on other plays]]
[[Category:Urdu-language plays]]
[[Category:Hindi-language literature]]
[[Category:Works about painters]]
[[Category:Hindi theatre]]

Tumhari Amrita - Revision history

imported>SdkbBot: /* Staging history */removed erroneous space