KARACHI, March 19: A local adaptation of renowned Urdu short story writer Ghulam Abbas’s tale Aanandi titled Zohra ki gali was staged here at the Arts Council’s auditorium on Wednesday night. Though the play had its moments, a few raw edges and more importantly a shambolic environment created by the audience members left room for improvement.
Presented by Natakwalay – the company’s second production – in collaboration with the Arts Council, the play was directed by Anjum Ayaz and adapted by Moeen Qureshi. It focused on the theme of hypocrisy and drove home the point that sometimes those who are considered the outcasts of society might in reality have higher morals than the self-professed custodians of decency.
The play opened up with the pre-recorded strains of a tune from the film Pakeeza with the set bathed in red light. This was significant as the play centres around a kotha nestled in a working class urban neighbourhood. Obviously the place – in particular its madam, Zohra – is something of an object of revulsion in the neighbourhood. The anti-Zohra camp is led by Shaikh Sahib, a seemingly pious individual who wants to cleanse the neighbourhood of this “filth.”
But it seems that some of the people who want Zohra the courtesan to pack up actually enjoy the merrymaking that takes place in the kotha above, while the hustle and bustle fuels the neighbourhood economy. Things come to a head when Shaikh Sahib’s daughter is seen talking to Zohra as all hell breaks loose thereafter.
One feels the play could have been edited for time. The total duration of nearly an hour and a half – transitions and breaks included – could have been trimmed and yet still conveyed the message just as effectively. Kudos, however, goes to the lighting department for some fine work, as they created the right atmosphere at the right time. The director also inserted moments of slapstick to lighten the mood, which had the audience in stitches.
But some performers came across a bit wooden at times, while others overdid it a bit. Also, in the scene where Zohra is talking to Akbari, Shaikh Sahib’s daughter, the dialogue was lost as the actress was not loud enough, or perhaps positioned herself such that her voice could not carry properly.
But the audience’s antics were truly deplorable. Despite the organizers’ request, people refused to turn off their cellphones, and resultantly a steady cacophony of ring-tones, wailing babies and audience chatter provided the performers an unwanted chorus line. God only knows why people brought babies and young children to a play that is meant for a mature audience, considering its risqué subject matter. One man was actually heard cackling during a scene in which Shaikh Sahib brutally beats his daughter. Perhaps we need more than a mere play to reawaken our sense of common decency.
Zohra Ki Gali will run up till March 24 with a break for Eid Miladun Nabi (PBUH) on Friday.–QAM
KARACHI, March 19: A local adaptation of renowned Urdu short story writer Ghulam Abbas’s tale Aanandi titled Zohra ki gali was staged here at the Arts Council’s auditorium on Wednesday night. Though the play had its moments, a few raw edges and more importantly a shambolic environment created by the audience members left room for improvement.
