Entertainment Magazine...
KARACHI:
Theatre-lovers of Karachi have been living in
a bubble so far. Their exposure to theatre has been limited to overacted
renditions of beautifully written plays and plots — that were either
translated in Urdu or were B-grade adaptations that were not even fit for
theatre. Despite being aware of the fact that such theatrical representations
are far from the true essence of theatre, we still celebrated them because we
were happy that “at least someone is doing theatre”.
But
when a generic love story opens up for analysis in the custom-made theatre at
National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) and breaks down the imaginary wall
between the viewer and the actor, you feel the pulse of theatre finally being
resuscitated. As the characters of the play “Khwab Tha Shayad” challenge the
audience’s socio-emotional barriers, one can see the evolution of theatre take
place right in front of their eyes.
“Khwab
Tha Shayad” may not be the most unique of narratives but it stood out because
of the way it was told. Directed by Fawad Khan, the play stars Joshinder
Chaggar as Saba and Mesum Naqvi as Salman and has cameo appearances by Akber
Islam, Samina Nazir and Khan himself.
The
play revolves around Salman, a theatre artist in his 20s, who moves out with
his love interest Saba, after getting into a number of arguments with his
parents. The couple, however, fails to work on their issues and ends up parting
ways for good. Following a non-linear narrative, the play then shows Saba and
Salman catching up on their past when they meet up after a long time.
Bold and the beautiful
This is
the first play of the Napa Performing Arts Festival that broke all conventional
barriers one expects in Pakistani theatre and in which the director played all
the shots on the front foot. The high-pitched sighs and gasps showed that the
boldness of the play shocked a few conservative groups in the audience.
Memorable performances
Naqvi
has nailed it once again and pulled off a character with numerous emotional
dimensions with style. However, the acts in which he spoke in English seemed a
little forced on him. Chaggar, on the other hand, has improved remarkably from
her first theatre performance in “Mohabbat Bhi Qayamat Bhi” and her agility as
a dancer and bubbly nature helped the character of Saba evolve. Apart from
occasional pronunciation and audibility issues and Naqvi’s language barrier,
the couple shared great chemistry on stage.
Biopic or not
The
play was based on the life events of the director himself. As much as one can
understand Khan’s attachment to the script, his occasional appearances on stage
to discuss the narrative with the characters was a bit confusing for the
audience. However, one must mention that Khan has immense potential as a
theatre director as he knows the most important rule of theatre performance:
utilise stage space intelligently.
Published
in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2012.
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