It is understandable what Shahzad Roy is trying to achieve by indulging in the art of acting in a show called Wasu aur Mein and using a Baloch folk singer as a protagonist to look at society’s shortcomings. What is not understandable is why he didn’t work on the project the way it merited and packaged it in a persuasive style.

There are reasons for the show’s ‘dragging-on’ look. For starters, acting, particularly of Shahzad Roy, leaves much to be desired. He speaks as if he’s on a talk show trying to respond to senior journalists’ tricky questions in a lighter vein. Then the script of the programme makes one feel that a whole situation is being created to accommodate one dialogue.

For example, the Wasu-Roy dialogue on the Bangladeshi currency ‘taka’ which prompts Wasu to use the phrase “do takay ka admi” in a contemporary setting sounded so concocted. Add to it the yet-to-be-made-clear role of Wasu. The show fails to exploit his traditional wisdom and sometimes makes him come across as not an artist but a regular person. The programme still has the potential for gaining its desired momentum if some ancillary (good) actors could be added to it. This would help diversify the situations as well.