LAHORE, April 19: ‘Aangan Terha’, a stage play written by Anwar Maqsood and directed by Dawar Mehmood, kept some 700 or so people glued to their seats at the Alhamra Art Center on Friday.

The comedy play by KopyKat productions was a treat to watch because of some excellent acting, crisp dialogues by Anwar Maqsood and impressive set and presentation. The play was based on satirical TV series ‘Aangan Terha’ televised by the PTV in late 1980s. The cast was completely new; there was no leading figure from stage or TV but still the play was a success.

In Karachi it generated great interest and was staged 101 times. The play which was based on many stories and multiple issues was the modified version of the original presentation as it touched some very recent topics such as violence in Karachi, Tahirul Qadri, electricity and the electoral system. It was a tribute to Karachi-based artiste Saleem Nasir who played the role of Akbar in ‘Aangan Terha’.

The story revolves around a servant, Akbar (immaculately played by Yasir Hussain), previously a classical dancer working at the house of retired civil servant Mehboob Ahmed and his wife Jehan Ara Begum (played extremely well by Hareem Farooq), who are trying to make both ends meet.

Mehboob regularly seeks Akbar’s advice on different matters, often with hilarious results. They eventually decide to get paying guests for a room in their house in the hope of improving their living condition. The role of Chauhdry Sahib (Mehboob Ahmed’s neighbour) is one of the trump card in the play. His typical accent and the way Akbar tries to imitate him is a source of amusement.

The play will be staged till April 28. The entry to the play is strictly by invitation.

Earlier, at a press conference at a hotel, play director Dawar Mehmood severely criticised PNCA Director-General Tauqeer Nasir for banning the Kopykat production on the PNCA platform.

He said Nasir had banned the production in November last year when the PNCA invited the then federal minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, to the performance and he reached the venue some 45 or so minutes late. “We had to tell the audience that delay in the play was due to the information minister and the audience got violent and ransacked the venue.”

Tauqeer Nasir could not be contacted.