October 05, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 05, 1429

KARACHI: The fourth drama presentation by the Napa Repertory Theatre, Vakeel Sahab, opened at the Arts Council Auditorium on Friday. Written by Hungarian playwright Molnar, the slapstick comedy play has been adapted in Urdu by Shoaib Hashmi, who has added his own inimitable touch of humour which is in evidence throughout the play. Talat Hussain and Arshad Mahmood play the main roles, with the rest of the cast belonging to the Napa Repertory Company. The play has been directed by Anjum Ayaz.

The story revolves round a lawyer who wants fame irrespective of how it is achieved. He befriends a thief because he keeps defending him – 19 times to be precise – winning his case every time. Khizar Hayat Qusoori likes to take cases that give him projection. The thief, Fazaldeen Phoja al Maruf Phoja Daku, justifies his housebreaking by saying he robs only the very rich who deserve to be robbed and is more honest than his lawyer who defends crooks and ends up winning cases at the end of the day.

Presenting the fourth play in a row, the National Academy of Performing Arts’ aim is to present professional plays in a city that has become barren in the field of theatre. Most of the theatre groups that had thrived in the past gradually closed down for various reasons and the very few that continued catered to a small segment of society. Focusing on experimental work as well as the other theatrical genres, which includes melodrama which was popular with the dramatists of yore, including Agha Hashr, Repertory Theatre Company has been adapting plays of famous playwrights of the world, making it accessible to the people here.

The three plays that have been presented by NAPA so far are Sufaid Khoon, directed by Zia Mohyeddin, Adhay Adhooray, directed by Rahat Kazmi, and Janay Pehchanay Ajnabi, which was directed by Zain Ahmad. The plays have pulled in crowds and if this tradition continuous without interruption, it will undoubtedly catch on with other theatrical groups. As Arshad Mahmood put it: “The foremost thing is to have a significant theatre-going audience. Once you have an audience then you can do all sorts of plays. Today, we need sponsors to sustain us, as there are not enough people willing to buy tickets to see a play.”

A stickler for timing, NAPA has set a much-needed precedent, with the curtains rising just a few minutes after the allocated time. People who have seen their previous plays are aware of this and make an effort to come on time.

A neat and pleasant set, designed by Tanveer Abbas, the house-cum-office of Khizar Hayat Qusoori reveals his younger sister Shellah, played by Maria Rabab, her in-house tutor, Sultana Begum played by Uroosa Siddiqui, and his assistant, Rashid Rahman played by Mohsin Ali Shah, busy in things other than what they should be doing. While the tutor is reading her much loved romantic novel, the other two are enjoying a clandestine affair right under her nose. Qusoori’s elder sister Shakeela, played by Mehreen Rafi, is friendly with SP Ghazanfar, played by Paras Masroor. Enter the main characters, Talat Hussain and Arshad Mahmood, and the story becomes fast-paced and the situations start developing, confusing the audience for a moment, now and then.

A little dragging at times, Vakeel Sahab is otherwise a delightful play with a huge dose of humour supplied by the slapstick situations of the characters, the continuous laughter and clapping from the audience vouching for its popularity. “Comedy is what is really needed these days, considering the depressing state of affairs,” remarked a theatre-goer.

Reflecting the relevance of our society through the characters, Shoaib Hashmi has adapted the story to the existing situations very smoothly while maintaining the mood and theme of the original script. “Because it is a satire, the story which is fast-paced, can fit in the society of any country. A comedy play is more difficult than a serious play and both the main artists, who are stalwarts, knew how to go about their characters,” commented Anjum Ayaz, the director. “I decided to do this play because it reflects the condition of Pakistan and lawyers. It is a satire and thus has a subtle way of presenting facts. I am quite comfortable in doing both comedy and serious plays,” said Talat Hussain.

Considering that it was the first day, there were no glitches or forgetting of lines. All the actors fit into their roles but the person who stole the show was Arshad Mahmood, with his lively performance, with Talat Hussain following, though his sentences were inaudible sometimes. Vakeel Sahab will continue till October 12 at the Arts Council Auditorium.