Is what we see unfold a carefully contrived interview between a journalist and a solitary writer? Or are we being sucked into a seemingly innocuous conversation that is set to reveal a tumultuous connection between the two? These are just two of the questions that are raised, answered, and then swiftly unanswered while watching the play Mushk [Musk] starring Sania Saeed and Nimra Bucha.

It takes a certain prowess to sustain a conversation enveloping different facets of one’s lives without a break in the narration through the introduction of new characters or props. The living room of writer Sophia (Bucha) is where the play begins, progresses and climaxes with Zoay (Saeed) being her sole companion throughout the course of the play. Sophia’s persona is overwhelming and dominates the stage from the moment she walks in. Zoay has an understated presence but very easily wrestles away power when Sophia is least expecting it, leading to a rocky equilibrium between the two. Bucha and Saeed weave magic onstage and it becomes hard to look away, even when the scenes are emotionally raw and uncomfortable.

What can one add about Bucha and Saeed? Both have time and again proved their worth as actors and they make the act of slipping into another character’s skin seem effortless; both seamlessly encompass the world the writers of Mushk have conjured for them. They do justice to the play and the audience is intrigued from the onset by their characterisation.

In the stage play Mushk, a famous award-winning writer is interviewed by a journalist. But the interview leads to the unfolding of a bitter-sweet tale of love and longing

A famous award-winning writer, with books prescribed in universities and a fan following that has driven her to find solitude among the mountains, Sophia’s seemingly idyllic existence is shattered by the arrival of Zoay’s inquisitive and innocent questions that probe just enough to rile up the misanthropic Sophia.

The world is already influenced by you; we have heard so much about you, but we don’t know what your reality is, says Zoay, when asked by Sophia why she is so keen to unravel the person behind the writer. Every question, every prompt and cue, every suggestive moment of silence after a question conveys a world of meaning and unsaid truths leading to a dance that both characters are destined to lose; and in this dance the set is integral and cleverly designed to further the narrative.

The thought given to each detail in the set is commendable; every object, carelessly thrown cushions, strategically placed books, are an extension of the narrative and credit must be given for the immaculate and credible world-building, tangible and intangible, by the play’s director Kanwal Khoosat and set designer Iram Sana.

According to Khoosat, the original play which is the inspiration behind her adaptation is a mere shadow of what Mushk has eventually transformed into, and so she considers identifying the original as irrelevant. This is particularly true, she claims, due to the cultural relevance and sensitivity of Mushk, which took the team almost a year to adapt to make it palatable for the audience and more interesting.

The sights and sounds of the world Sophia inhabits inside the home and outside are in cohesion. From the sound of the crickets and the owls, to the abrupt rain falling and thunder, the load-shedding, as well as incorporating different ragas to represent different periods in the narrative, the attention to detail is visible holistically as well as when broken down into simpler, less complex elements.

Sana, who has worked with Olomopolo Media for almost four years, was largely responsible for the set design. Considering that she was designing the home of a very complex individual, Sophia’s home reflects her complexity and the writer’s philosophy of life. Each space has a role to play in the progression of the narrative — the couch where most of the conversations occur between Sophia and Zoay is a neutral space; the place where Sophia makes her drinks is a comfort zone she returns to time and again for a sense of familiarity and to gather herself; and the fireplace is where the characters speak their hearts out and erupt passionately.

The realistic depictions visible through the windows of Sophia’s home are also an extension of the different stages the two women go through inside while getting to know each other’s ugly reality. In many ways, the macrocosm and the microcosm are in harmony.

According to Khoosat, the original play which is the inspiration behind her adaptation is a mere shadow of what Mushk has eventually transformed into, and so she considers identifying the original as irrelevant. This is particularly true, she claims, due to the cultural relevance and sensitivity of Mushk, which took the team almost a year to adapt to make it palatable for the audience and more interesting.

The most obvious of the change introduced by Khoosat is of the gender of the two characters. However, Mushk’s dramatic brilliance goes way beyond just that; the locales and the setting were also translated and transformed with the characters belonging to Sadparah and Yazman, highlighting the significance of a lake in the play that must be crossed to reach Sophia’s abode.

Sophia’s latest book, cited as an acclaimed masterpiece, is a love story, a clear departure from her earlier work. It is the first time she has written so openly about love and when Zoay suggests that the book may be autobiographical, the thought is vehemently denied immediately. However, the journalist has stepped into Sophia’s world, carefully locked away and so has by default the audience. And from that point forth we see the worlds of both women unravel, and what a journey it is.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 12th, 2017