Indian actor Om Puri has expressed his desire to do theatre in Lahore in collaboration with the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop (RPTW), says Saadan Peerzada.

The creative director of the Rafi Peer Theatre told Dawn that Om Puri was an accomplished theatre actor also and he had shown great interest in doing theatre in Lahore.

He said the theatrical performance could be a memorable one as Mr Puri wanted to do something different.

He said Naseeruddin Shah was already doing theatre in Lahore every year and with Om Puri’s performance the Lahorites would be able to see two wonderful actors grace the stage.

He said the RPTW would try to resume the World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore next year.

Meanwhile, the International Film Festival organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop (RPTW) at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, concluded on Saturday.

The film fanciers watched 70 movies produced by professionals from six continents. The event also featured short films that won equal appreciation.

According to Saadan Peerzada, around 700 visitors came to the festival in three days. Film personalities such as Om Puri and Madhur Bhandharkar also graced the festival and they left for India on Saturday.

A major feature of the festival besides film screenings was the music evenings in which Wahdat Rameez and Shehry were the vocalists who entertained the audience with light singing.

On Saturday, the major film that had the maximum audience was Manto. A session on the upcoming Pakistani cinema was also held which was attended by Usman Peerzada, Sarmad Khusat, Asghar Nadeem Syed and Wajiha Raza.

The Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) at its Lahore subsidiary Shakir Ali Museum held a classical music evening on Friday night which was attended by a fairly big audience.

Singers from different classical music gharanas performed on the occasion.

Shakir Ali Museum Director Amna Pataudi said the PNCA had always tried to promote every genre of performing arts and the classical music evening was part of that effort. In the current month, she said, the museum would also hold an evening dedicated to Shakir Ali.

As many festivals have recently taken place at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall and there are plenty of other activities, its canteen needs a lot of improvement.

The quality of eatables at the canteen is not up to the mark, say visitors, and it also needs proper cleanliness and sanitary measures.

Meanwhile, the Alhamra administration has dismantled the cage of peacocks it had brought to add beauty to the lawns for the Literary and Cultural Festival. It is being claimed that the peacocks had been returned to the Wildlife Department but a source said these peacocks had been sold to a neighbouring house.

One rarely finds an exhibition on wildlife and the Lahore Zoo’s plan to hold an art competition among schoolchildren on wild birds and animals in near future is a welcome step.

The winners will be given shields and certificates and an exhibition of the artworks of children would be displayed at the Zoo.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2015