Tarun Jasani
Gauhar Jaan
The story of India’s First Recording Artist.
India, Oct 1902. Fred Gaisberg is travelling across the country capturing the exotic sounds of the East to be played on his miraculous new machine, the gramophone. He is hoping to record the beautiful voice of Gauhar Jaan, a young courtesan famed not only for her musical prowess but her arrogance.
Numerous travellers Gaisberg meets along the way recount the famous Datia Incident where the Maharaja and Gauhar Jaan ‘the Queen of the Arts’ indulged in a fierce battle of egos, the outcome of which threatens Gaisberg’s mission. Each tells the tale of what happened on that dark day in Datia.
So what exactly happened?
This is a multilingual play fused with live music and dance that celebrates the early 20th century musical revolution, and the remarkable story of a talented musician who only ever craved control over her own fate.
To accompany the play an exhibition, supported by EMI Archive Trust and The British Library, will run throughout April in the Omnibus Theatre café-bar space.
Presented by Mukul and Ghetto Tigers
Written by Tarun Jasani
Directed by Mukul Ahmed
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