KARACHI: The casting dilemma for Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee has been resolved and the play will be presented by the Napa Repertory Theatre from Jan 15 to Feb 1, artistic director of the NRT Zain Ahmed told a press conference on Friday.

Renowned actor and director Rahat Kazmi, who will be directing the play, said on the occasion that he was in such a quandary to get the right actors for Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee that contrary to their established practice of only hiring Napa graduates for their plays they decided to cast students. “I almost decided to not to do it, but then we finally managed to get the right cast together. We had no choice but to select students such as Tariq Raja and Jia Khan, who have worked very hard and done a good job.”

About the play, Mr Kazmi said it was an adaptation of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, translated and adapted by Samina Nazir, a Napa graduate. “Set in the background of 1971, this is the story of the trials and tribulations of a Bihari family that migrate from East Pakistan [now Bangladesh]. It is a complex narrative which encompasses a coming-of-age tale, the struggles of a father in providing for his extended family and a relative who wants to follow her passion in the performing arts.”

He said that the play was interspersed with bitter-sweet incidents, “nothing too dramatic, there are nuances in it which is reflected in its simple and effective script.”

The context of the play Mr Kazmi felt was important as very little literature had been produced on the East Pakistan tragedy.

Responding to a query about why this particular play and 1971, he said that it was Ms Nazir who approached him with the original idea and “it appealed to me because this was a tragedy on a national scale and Samina’s understanding of the subject and the way she has transported the play in the context is highly commendable”.

The cast members of the play were also present at the press conference and all unanimously felt it was a privilege to work with a legend such as Mr Kazmi and found him to be always calm and even-tempered.

“To make a debut in this play that is directed by Rahat Sir, I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my acting career,” said Ms Khan.

Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee will run four days a week from Thursday to Sunday.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2015

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