Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Urdu writer and wife of the Marxist ideologue Sajjad Zaheer (1905-1973)—one of the founders of the Progressive Writers’ Association—had a delightful way of describing the progress of her four daughters. When her third daughter Nadira graduated from National School of Drama (NSD) with a gold medal in 1971, Razia celebrated it saying: “Jo dramebaaz thi woh NSD se paas huee (the one who would do drama passed out from the NSD).”

Interesting anecdotes like this animate ‘Ek Lamhaa Zindagi: A Love Story 1938-1979’, a play depicting the love between Razia and Sajjad Zaheer, the famous couple whose South Mumbai home hosted many memorable events, including the nikah of poet-lyricist Kaifi Azmi with Shaukat Kaifi.

This was one of the plays that Ekjute, Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s theatre group, staged last week at Prithvi Theatre as the group turned 45 this year. Founded in 1981, Ekjute (meaning together) has evolved into a major theatre movement. With dozens of plays, hundreds of performances and annual theatre workshops, it doesn’t just stage plays, it mentors actors.

“When Raj sahab (Raj Babbar, Nadira’s fellow NSD alumnus, whom she married in 1975) and I moved to Mumbai in the early 1980s, I knew that I wanted to create a platform for aspiring actors,” says Nadira, whose group has produced acclaimed plays like ‘Sandhya Chhaya’, ‘Look Back in Anger’, ‘Begum Jaan’ and ‘Sakku Bai’.

Theatre critic Shanta Gokhale says she enjoyed ‘Begum Jaan’, based on the life of a classical singer on hard times, where Nadira plays the protagonist. “Though I have not followed all her plays, she and her group certainly played a role in creating a vibrant theatre culture in the city,” says Gokhale.

A place that has shaped Ekjute’e journey is Prithvi Theatre. “I couldn’t have done so much had Jennifer and Shashi Kapoorji not opened their hearts, home and this place for me,” she says. It was here that she staged her first production ‘Yehudi Ki Ladki’, reviving the Parsi theatre style of storytelling. Years later, Nadira and Raj’s daughter Juhi Babbar Soni would make her stage debut with ‘Yehudi Ki Ladki’.

Juhi was one of many actors and directors — including the late Sushant Singh Rajput, Richa Chadda and Rakul Preet Singh — who trained at Ekjute’s theatre workshops. “I grew up with Ekjute, imbibing its vibrant literary and acting culture,” says Juhi, who co-directed the critically acclaimed ‘Ek Lamha Zindagi’ with actor-director Makrand Deshpande.

Deshpande admires the way Ekjute has evolved. “Nadiraji’s knowledge of Urdu enables her to give powerful performances in plays like ‘Begum Jaan’. Few theatre groups have survived 45 years. This alone is worth celebrating,” he adds.

Ashish Vidyarthi, who plays a small-town man dreaming of joining Bollywood, but ends up a clerk in ‘Dayashankar Ki Diary’ says, “This story has universal appeal. I have played this character for 25 years and every show excites me.”

Both Nadira and Juhi say they carry the rich legacy of Razia and Sajjad Zaheer. Zaheer and writer Mulk Raj Anand formed the Indian Progressive Writers’ Association in 1935, while at Oxford. A member of the Communist Party of India, Zaheer was sent to Lahore in 1948 to establish the CPI in Pakistan, but was arrested along with poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Razia moved mountains, and even sought Nehru’s support for her husband’s release.

This scene appears in ‘Ek Lamha...’ a play marking Ekjute’s 45th anniversary.