ISLAMABAD: The colourful spring festival of Basant was celebrated once again, albeit only on stage. Ajoka Theatre’s new play ‘Lo Phir Basant Ayee (Basant has returned)’ opened in a city which has for the last many months been the stage for political agitation and confrontation.

The play celebrates 30 years of Ajoka Theatre, which has through its performances, taken a stand against intolerance, extremism and bigotry. In the theatre group’s signature style, Lo Phir Basant Ayee is a social commentary presented in a cleverly witty manner.

Lo Phir Basant Ayee is the story of an ancient ‘Zinda Dil’ city where people believed that the fortifications built around the city would protect them from marauding invaders of all times. But the insidious enemy stealthily broke in, the gates disappeared and the city was held hostage from within by an enemy which was now stealing everything, their values, their culture, their identity.

Among the bewildered citizens were Ustad Mauja whose family had been making colourful kites for the people of his city for centuries, a teacher who was being told what to teach and what not to, young lovers who could not sit on the same bench in college and the child who saw the ‘Raani’ kite in his dreams and wanted to fly with her up into the blue sky. But the ‘Rok Tham Committee’ was keeping a very close watch. Spring had arrived but will Basant ever be celebrated again in the besieged city?

The play is nostalgic of Lahore’s most important cultural festival but is also a commentary on how there are few reasons left to celebrate in this country.

The people of the Zinda Dil city like the people of Pakistan see their freedoms curtailed one by one. Kites flying in open skies are an oft thought of symbol for freedom. Basant was once hailed as the king of festivals.

Lahoris, all over the city, would climb to their rooftops to see the battle of kites in the sky. Women would wear colourful clothes and singing and dancing would continue late into the night. But that was before the dangerous materials used by some on Dor (string) began to take lives, and rather than ensuring that safer materials were used, authorities banned kite flying.

“It started a bit slow but the play left a major impact on us,” Muhammad Qasim, an audience member, said.

Eyes wandered back and forth between the characters aptly created by the playwright Shahid Nadeem. The entire cast like veteran stage performer Arshad Durrani as Ustad Mauja or the Maulana and Police played by Usman Chaudhary, Zubair and Sohaib, delighted the audience. Lead actors Nayab Faiza and Usman Raaj also gave beautiful performances as two ‘Zinda Dil’ lovers who are in trouble. Nayab Faiza was hilarious in her tension and tender in her worry.

“I can associate easily with my character – falling crazily in love. It’s a character any girl can relate too,” said Nayab Faiza, who is also currently performing roles in television dramas. Usman Raaj too, is an actor with television experience and has two years with Ajoka, under his belt.

“The only challenge is that there is no room for errors because it’s live and expectations are high,” he said.

The most masterful performances were by the chillingly fanatical and intolerant ‘Rok Tham Committee’ played by Mehran Khan, Qaiser Khan and Pawan Singh Arora. The actors brought to life realistic characters that remind one of many intolerant elements in Pakistani society today. There was performance in even their body language and gestures, enthralling before lines left their mouths.

“As long as there is one pretty little kite flying on the rooftops of the city, the dream of flying, joy and freedom will live,” said Madiha Gohar, the director of the play and director of Ajoka Theatre. The play ended with a thundering applause from the audience.

“You don’t mind getting on that ride all over again,” said an audience member as he left the hall.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2014

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