Motley's Manto, Ismat...Haazir Hain at Prithvi Theatre

BWW Previews: NASEERUDDIN SHAH'S Motley Theatre Celebrates 40 Years

40 years and 42 productions later Motley productions showcases some of the finest in Indian theatre

Motley Celebrates 40 Years

The idea of Motley was born in a small coffee house in Lucknow in 1978 when Naseeruddin Shah & Benjamin Gilani decided to produce plays that they were curious about. They decided to go with Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, though they had no clue as to how to go about it. Godot was in rehearsal for nearly a year and finally opened on July 29th at the newly inaugurated Prithvi Theatre, under the banner of Majma, Om Puri's fledgling company. This was because we hadn't yet found a name for the group but by the next show we had decided on MOTLEY; only thing is that the next show was performed only a year and four months later!