These Muslim artistes enact roles in Ramlila, support preparations

Shehbaz (18), only son of his parents, played the role of a rishi greeting King Dashrath on the birth of Lord Rama, on the first day of Ramlila at Gandhi School in Ahmedgarh on Monday.

For the past seven years, Shehbaz has been playing roles during Ramlila, Janam Ashtami, Shivratri and Ganesh Puja under the banner of Tri Murti Kala Manch, Ahmedgarh.

However, he started playing major roles of Lord Rama, Lakshman, Maharani Kaushalya and other important characters about five years ago.

Shehbaz said he got attracted towards acting on stage at Hindu religious festivals when he started visiting places where such events were organised.

“Initially, some of our relatives objected to my participation in Hindu festivals. However, they stopped interfering when my parents cleared their stand on my interest in participation in such events,” said Shehbaz.

He said he had been following tenets of Islam simultaneously with participation in Hindu rituals. He was proud that his parents never objected to installation of idols of Lord Krishna and Radha in his room.

Though Shehbaz had been sharing financial responsibilities of his parents since he was studying in Class V, he never desired to encash his art for financial gains.

Shehbaz left his studies after completing Class X as he aims to achieve higher goals in theatre and arts after receiving organised training in the field.

Akram Bholla of Dehliz village is another Muslim artiste who is supporting director Manoj Sharma in preparing new artistes performing on the first day.

Bholla has played major roles in TV serials based on Hindu epics in the past.

Bholla returned after working in the field of acting in Mumbai for 13 years but he had kept his art alive by associating with the organisation of Ramlila and other events, including jagrans and shobha yatras, in the town.

Bholla works as a milkman but he does not charge anything for providing support to rehearsals and preparations of such religious events.

Jai Jai Hanuman, Jai Mata Durga and Jai Shani Dev were serials in which he played roles of Hindu deities.

He claimed that he had more knowledge about Hindu religion than any other faith as he had studied vast literature during his acting career.

He said its worrisome that there were fanatics in almost all religions who had been spreading hatred in the name of their faiths.