KARACHI: What does a storyteller do? No, it’s not kosher to ask what a storyteller’s job is, because no one has bound him or her to write stories: all storytellers, great or not-so-great, tell stories on their own volition. So, what a storyteller does is that s/he puts characters in situations that the reader (viewer, if you like) wants to know more about in the sense that the possibility of those characters being real or situations being plausible comes across as, in a manner of speaking, unquestionable. Writer Ismat Chughtai’s characters are as real as they come and they speak the kind of language that’s familiar to all of us. The four pieces that Dastango group read out on Friday evening in the ongoing theatre festival at the Arts Council did justice to her writings to a great extent.

The show, directed by Fawad Khan, began with Zarqa Naz introducing Ismat to the audience in the writer’s own words. Zarqa is a competent performer. Perhaps her entry into the scheme of things came a little late because she sounded a little underprepared. Gradually, though, she warmed up to the task and came into her own.

Next up was the story ‘Ghungat’ as narrated by Meesam Naqvi. Let’s give him his due. It was his best effort to date. Yes, Nazrul Hasan received more rounds of applause than Meesam during the latter’s interpretation of ‘Chiri Ki Dukki’ (and he too was very impressive), but Meesam’s performance was measured, controlled and faithful to the text. His dramatisation of the whole story did not overpower the narrative beauty of the text. Nazr on the other hand created more drama out of the tale due to which the lilting flow of Ismat’s lines took a back seat. Nazr gesticulated a trifle more than what was required.

Fawad Khan has become a crowd favourite which seems to have taken a toll on him. He is an efficient actor but of late has begun to fumble during his stints on stage. The good thing is that he does not think too much about the goof-ups and carries on with his work. His take on ‘Amar Bael’ was effective.

The three stories that the group presented highlight the plight of a society where marital status, concepts of beauty, social disparities and gender gap gnaw at its soul. Ismat had seen all of that up close. But the marked feature of the pieces was the writing. The language is replete with similes that make the viewer marvel at Ismat’s particular grasp of the Urdu language and her fecund imagination. And the actors were aware of it. So kudos on that count!

That being said, the group would be better served, next time, if it wishes so, to choose pieces penned by different writers. Let’s say one by Ismat, another by Ashraf Suboohi and another by Bedi. This will break the stylistic sameness of the narration as well as add to the

content of the show. Or, if one writer seems to be enough for an act, then pick pieces whose subject matter varies. Just a suggestion.

Published in Dawn November 13th, 2016