“WE know we are up to our necks in shit. That's why we walk with our heads held high. Pakistan Zindabad.” Any play that ends with such memorable lines is worth performing again and again, and Saint Patrick's Dramatics Society did just that when they enacted The Accidental Death of a Mullah for three days at the PACC.
Even heavy rain could not keep audiences away from this adaptation of Dario Fo's Nobel Prize winning play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The cast, which comprised the students of A Levels first and second year, threw themselves body and soul (literally) into their respective roles.
Amr Rouvan Mahmud as the fast-talking Suspect who turns the table on the police was undoubtedly the star of the show. Apart from endless dialogue and confounding logic, his constant physical movements – from running about the stage to standing on his toes – reminded one of the actor Steve Martin and were a source of much entertainment. Mahmud thanks Cyrus of the Karachi-based improv group, Blackfish for his guidance in this area. Sarim Zuberi drew laughs as the beleaguered Captain, while Mishaal Lakhani as the Chief of Police or 'Chiefy' made an adorable yet gullible bully. Ali Rafiq as the Sergeant was a class of his own, for while he spoke only a handful of dialogue, his comical facial expressions nearly stole the show.
Directed and 'Pakistan-ised' by Hiba Masood, the play deals with various issues including an ineffective judiciary, police brutality, the State's lack of interest in most matters of national importance, the nation's expectations from Inzamam ul Haq and even “sneaky Dawn reporters.”
The students wanted to put up a play “that made a point” and it appears that they found their inspiration in news reports about detainees in police thanas who allegedly committed suicide or else were reported by the police to have died of “natural causes.”
The witty repartee and clever innuendo used to tackle such weighty subjects was clearly meant for an intelligent audience. And an intelligent and thoroughly enraptured audience rewarded the actors' effort by loudly applauding at various junctures in the play.
The students involved with the play and their director admitted that their families and friends were worried about public reaction to the title of the play.
Some even suggested hiring security just in case.
The play's sponsors, however, displayed no such concerns. Judges might be a touchy subject these days, but Mullahs are up for laughs.
