KARACHI: The play Latri Jo Lafro directed by Faraz Chhottani on Thursday, staged as part of Napa’s Young Directors’ Festival, was billed as a comedy in the Memoni language. Well, it turned out that was not the case. The bulk of the script was in Urdu, and only a smattering of Memoni could be heard.

Yes, it all began with five minutes of dialogue in that language in the first scene, but as the story moved along, and with the arrival of a Pakhtun and an Urdu-speaking character, it was all Urdu from there onwards. The reason I mention this is that there were people in the audience who had come just because they were intrigued by the very idea that a play in Memoni was being put up. Sadly, they did not get what they came for.

The storyline of Latri Jo Lafro too was not off the beaten track. Bachu Bhai (Nazrul Hasan) is a Memon seth who owes money to a few men and, when the play begins, is not in a position to give it back. He has his nephew, Zubair (Farhan Alam) as his aide or sidekick. Bachu is a shrewd man, though his shrewdness is confined to dealing with people. His stingy character is revealed from the get-go when he is seen taking things (including fruit) out of a pocket sewn into his vest. His shabby looks suggest he is financially challenged. This is verified when Haseen Gul (Ashfaq Ahmed), one of the two persons he has borrowed money from, phones him and screams at him.

Then Achhan (Hammad Khan), a butcher, another man he is in hock to, enters his house and makes a hue and cry about the money. Acchan gets a little distracted and terrorised by Bachu’s business partner (Kaleem Ghouri) who has lost his mind because of economic mishaps. Things change when Zubair receives a letter which says that Bachu has won a lottery worth $50m. This turns the situation on its head because now Achhan and Gul try and mend fences with the seth — now they feel they will get more than what they had bargained for. Of course, it is all a hoax.

There were moments in Latri Jo Lafro which had the audience in stitches. Was that enough? No. Napa is now known for teaching its students to choose quality content. And that was what lacked in Chhottani’s effort. Yes, the acting was worth appreciating, however, since it’s not easy to remain in the Memoni language mode for a long time, there were occasions when Nazrul Hasan (who on Thursday reminded this writer of one of the legendary Moin Akhtar’s famous television avatars) shifted from the Memoni accent to chaste Urdu pronouncing words like ‘ghalati’ (mistake) as accurately as it should be pronounced. Good habits die hard!

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2017