From Old Delhi memories to Mughal-era storytelling traditions, Paayal Nair’s personal journey finds renewed purpose through Qissagoi—where language, loss, courage and creativity intersect, reminding us that our earliest influences often shape our most meaningful artistic callings.

Curtain Call presents Shaam-e-Qissagoi at Chaubara, Versova, on 25 January, with performances at 6 pm and 8 pm. Experience classic Urdu storytelling through humour, romance and nostalgia in an intimate theatre setting. Book tickets now on altshows.

Stay rooted…And you’ll find your calling.

I was born to act. I know it’s a tall claim considering I am not a nepo kid. I was born in a middle class family in Dilli 6 or Old Delhi as it is called. I don’t remember how I landed on stage in nursery school, but the memory of being draped in a green cardboard paper as a bottle and placed in a single file with other kids is a memory that’s vivid and tad bit scary to this day. In hindsight I was nervous as a 6 year old facing an audience for the very first time. Strangely it felt good and liberating. That’s a feeling I still feel in my guts today while waiting in the wings before my performance.

Old Delhi is and will always be the mecca of culture, a melting pot to say the least. My love for Urdu language can be traced back when words like daraaz (drawer), itminan (assurance), sabr (patience), malal (regret) were part of our daily lingo. I would play ghazals from Jagjit Singh and Mirza Ghalib (a TV series on Doordarshan) in a loop on my modest cassette player.

Finding the Stage Voice

Years later my love for the language got more pronounced when I got the opportunity to prepare a monologue translated in chaste Urdu as, ‘Tum Ko Chahun Ki Na Aao’ from Oriana Fallaci’s book, ‘A Letter To A Child Never Born’. This play was about poignant conversations between an unmarried girl and her unborn child.

What followed was six months of intensive rehearsals to get the ‘nuktas’ (sound produced from the epiglottis) and the right pronunciations and enact all the characters in the story with aplomb. The play was an instant hit in Delhi and yours truly got some rave reviews from Romesh Chander and Manohar Khushlani, renowned Delhi theatre critics. Thus started my stage journey, moving on to Mumbai in 2000, till today.

Henri Matisse said creativity takes courage. You have to be mad and bold to pursue life as an artist. To be an actor in Bollywood is one of the most courageous things to do. There are no shortcuts. No guarantee of work. What is certain are dry spells, numerous rejections and perhaps doing roles which you think is not worth your talent. How do you survive as an artist? Sabr and Sahas (courage) are just words. My two penny advice: Make a poster of the quote, ‘Creativity takes courage’ and paste it near your bedside. Is that so simple? Hell NO! Hear me out.

Learn and develop a skill which will give you an edge. For example, learn to play a musical instrument, dance, or a foreign/Indian language other than your mother tongue. Then secondly create your own work. Write short stories or poems. Practice skits. Be the creator.

Loss, Leap and Qissagoi

2025 was the most turbulent year of my life. I had no work as an actor. I suffered personal family losses. I was down in the dumps. But then I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I took a leap of faith and decided to start Curtain Call, my theatre company. The universe conspired and I got an invite to do two shows in Chandigarh. Qissagoi was the concept of my maiden production.

Qissagoi is an ancient art of telling a qissa (story) -- a regular feature in the royal courts of the Mughal empire and the bustling lanes of British-era India. It offered more than just entertainment. It was a sophisticated performance that blurred the lines between reality and myth. While the grander, multi volume Dastangoi focused on epic sagas like the adventures of Amir Hamza, Qissagoi often dealt with shorter, punchier narratives of the romance, aiyyari (trickery) and folklore. In the 19th century, particularly in cultural hubs of Delhi and Lucknow, professional storytellers known as Qissagohs became local celebrities. They held audiences spellbound for hours with only their voice and dramatic gestures.

Mughal emperors like Akbar patronized Qissagoi which was heavily influenced by Persian tradition and royal heroics. During the British era this form reached its zenith in the Nawabi culture, used Urdu and became popular amongst the masses.

However as British influence tightened and modern forms of entertainment like printing press, novels and eventually cinema took root, this oral tradition began to fade. By the early 20th century, the art was nearly lost, only to be discovered decades later as a vital bridge to India’s rich, syncretic past.

Coming Full Circle

Hope you got the drift? Nothing goes waste in life. My early learning and leanings towards Urdu helped me choose Qissagoi as my maiden production. This gave me new direction, discipline and a new purpose: to create work for myself and others. Stay rooted to your upbringing. During times when you feel low, sit and reflect on your childhood or your life before you became an artist. Recount your influences. You will be surprised how creativity finds you.

Curtain Call presents Shaam-e-Qissagoi, an evening of three evocative, funny and timeless stories written by Ismat Chugtai and Patras Bokhari and performed by Chandan K Anand, Tariquee Haameed and myself.

This is being performed on January 25th at Chaubara in Aram Nagar 2 at 6 & 8pm. Come and fall in love with Urdu language.

Tickets available on altshows. (link).  

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