ISLAMABAD: A local adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Exception and the Rule at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Wednesday night highlighted economic inequality, moral corruption and the degeneration of the justice system.

Titled Anokhi Baat Bhi Mumkin Hai, the performance was of Aslam Azhar’s 1980 translation of the 1931 play by the German playwright Brecht.

It was directed by Asif Shah, who also acted in the play.

The performance, which ran for three days, follows a profit-seeking merchant who must cross the fictional Yahi Desert to sell oil. His harsh treatment of his subordinates shows the dark underbelly of human nature, particularly in the context of the capitalist system.

As the merchant becomes more afraid of the desert, his brutality towards his workers also increases. He eventually fires his guide, the porter, and gets lost in the desert with a low supply of water.

He then mistakenly shoots the coolie, thinking he is being attacked when he is being offered water the coolie had left in his bottle.

According to Mr Shah, the play “is a jab at social degeneration”. “The drama reveals the inequities between the well-off merchant and his lower-class workers, in terms of both wealth and protection under the law.”

Also featured in the performance were Imran Rushdi, Sobia Saleem, Seema Jatt, Raza Ahmed, Arshad Khan, Noorullah, Shahid Mughal, Karim Khan, Nadeem, Furqan Ahmed, and Waqas Wikki, all of whom were a forceful centre of gravity for the play and dominated the stage with their expressions and performances.

However, there were some weaknesses in the direction, and delays in dialogue delivery affected some of the scenes. The stage itself was simple, as were the costumes, leaving the lighting to bring most of the dramatic effects.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2018