''Shabash Anarkali'' (शाबाश अनारकली, شاباش انارکلی) is a Hindustani

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of the historical romance of Saleem and Anarkali set during the Mughal period in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The play was written by Surinder Gulati, directed by

Nadira Babbar Nadira Babbar (born 20 January 1948) is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in H ...

(and others), and staged throughout India as well as on Doordarshan (Indian state television) in the late 1970s. Although it aired on state-run television, the play came in for some criticism in the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

because it allegedly made disrespectful fun of Emperor Akbar, "''a great and respected leader of this nation of ancient times''." The play has received popular and critical acclaim since it first began to be staged.

References

{{reflist Hindi theatre Urdu theatre Indian plays History of India in fiction Mughal Empire Parodies