‘Any play is a dynamic entity’–aptly gets reflected in the play Ghalib in Delhi!
I came across the play Ghalib in Delhi multiple times when I started my theatre-hopping journey back in 2022, until I finally watched it on October 4, 2025. It is interesting to note that I watched the first commercial play, Big B, at LTG by the same director. I must say that each year’s production of the play is remarkably different from the others due to many contemporary overtones.
Title: Ghalib in Delhi
Writer and Director: M. Sayeed Alam
First Performed in: 1997, and a remarkable 600 national and international productions till date
Genre: Humour, Comedy
Theatre Group: Pierrot
Auditorium: Little Theatre Group (LTG), Mandi House, Delhi
Running time: Around 2 hours without any breaks
Whenever I visit Delhi, I often try to look for a play that could fit into my schedule. My train to Gandhinagar was scheduled to depart at 7:55 PM, where I had to attend a workshop. I scrolled through the plays section of Book My Show to find Ghalib in Delhi, scheduled to begin at 4:30 PM. A perfect opportunity, hence, I booked a ticket without any second thought.
The play started 15 minutes later than its scheduled time. I could see an old figure sitting beside a panwadi shop run by a woman. Spotlights on them. The two were engaged in a humorous communication. The identity of the old figure gets revealed as soon as the play opens. He is Mirza Ghalib, a famous poet and musharists of the 19th century. The plot of the play is woven around the point that he is visiting Delhi in the 21st Century. A significant part of the play consists of the contrast between the two ages or the two generations–the present and the past. Ghalib sees it through the lens of the past in a world that has grown modern. At the heart of the play lies his struggle to survive amidst such circumstances. The contemporary issues, such as inflation, taxation and politics, with humour have been repeatedly highlighted, which makes it impossible to hold your laughter.
One of the remarkable features of Sayeed’s play is the improvisation. As a writer and director, he nonchalantly incorporates several contemporary elements, which never let the play become obsolete. The play of light and sound is also remarkable.
I suggest you watch this play at your first opportunity. I am sure you’ll be delighted more than I was.
The play didn’t conclude even after 6:30. Since I had to catch my train, I had to leave the concluding part of the play and the characters’ intro. Hoping to catch it the next time.
©Shashank
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