ISLAMABAD: Ghar Aaya Mehmaan, a play by Amjad Islam Amjad, is being performed by Theatre Commoner at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).

Amjad Islam Amjad has been a leading light in the Urdu literary circles of Pakistan for many decades, finding a niche in creating television dramas and writing Urdu poetry. His most notable dramas are Waris, Dehleez, Samandar, Raat, Waqt and Apnay Loag.

Mr Amjad said, “This is my first theatre play and I have many fond associations with it. I have tried to ensure that the language and storyline remain true to the fundamental standards of literary theatre while keeping the venture entertaining.”

Akram Khan, an avid theatre lover, said, “At a time when political turbulence has kept most social activities at a standstill, theatre and art are important to sustain the cultural life of a city.”

The play has been directed by Nabeel Iqbal Awan who claims his mission is “to purely entertain theatre lovers!” He has worked in various productions in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad as an actor and director.

The set was, charmingly enough, reminiscent of 1980s’ PTV dramas while the plot was farcical revolving around the antics and proclivities of an uninvited guest in his miserly uncle’s house.

The guest has apparently made a fortune in England and doles out exorbitantly expensive presents to all and sundry.

Oddly, he also has a strange medical condition where he has fits which are cured through dancing wildly to loud music – which may well have been an excuse to break into song and dance.

The miserly uncle who counts cups of tea and bathwater has sold the nephew’s house in Pakistan and is reluctant to give him the money unless the nephew agrees to wed his daughter.

To add to the chaos, there is another uncle who has an unwed daughter who is keen to acquire a wealthy son-in-law. And of course both daughters are in love with others.

The play ends with a didactic moral on the virtue of good causes, education and how relationships are terribly important.

The play drags as it stretches to almost two hours but it is very like the Urdu theatre plays that were performed in Lahore some 20 years ago.

Unlike many modern productions, the play was in Urdu entirely, vacillating between colloquial Urdu and poetic literary Urdu.

The star performance was by Ehsan Qureshi, a veteran artist of theatre, radio and television, while the experience of Azhar Feroz stood him in good stead. The comic relief was provided by the energetic and effervescent Imran Rushdi who played the servant of the house much like a Shakespearean fool.

Fauzia Saleem, who left the hall beaming, said, “Our lives are so full of tension it is very important to have some entertainment like this.

This play pointed out how our obsession with money drives us which is a good lesson.”

Tahir Nadeem, Director Comsats, who was the chief guest for the evening, thanked the team that produced the play for its efforts and praised Amjad Islam Amjad’s incisive look at human foibles. He also declared that Comsats was determined to support theatre and cultural activities where possible.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014