ISLAMABAD: Naach Na Jaane, a prequel to Anwar Maqsood’s Aangan Terha, premiered at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) Friday night.

Running some 90 minutes, this play is the first ever production of Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi and was presented by KopyKats Production. Written by Anwar Maqsood, the play ran for two months before coming to the capital.

Naach Na Jaane tells the story of classical dancer Akbar, who was initially played by the late Saleem Nasir. It is set in 1978, during the dictatorship of Gen Zia, when academies were banned and follows Akbar as he finds work as a cook to make ends meet.

The show prompted mixed feelings from the audience. Despite some riveting performances, especially from Yasir Hussain as Kabar, the first 40 to 50 minutes felt, for some, like watching an attempt to revive Aangan Terha.

“Most of the play was the original TV drama script as one cannot beat that classic wit, humour and satire and enjoyed reliving it. Yasir Hussain’s portrayal of Akbar reminds you of late Salim Nasir sahab who was remarkable in the original play,” said Hasan Naeem, an audience member.

Another viewer, Akbar Malik, said: “I never really thought much of ‘remakes’ because it questions creativity. I would have rather watched Aangan Terha at home. With the fatuous dances added to the show, it made me feel as though I was fighting off an overwhelmingly powerful anaesthetic.”

“In the dances, you see flickers of a show that might have been. They were perhaps thrown in to draw attention away from set changes otherwise done in darkness and behind closed curtains,” said another member in the audience.

The performance topped the list of visual wows - a dragon floating down the aisle, attractive traditional and western costumes, and the colourful spotlights - for Asma Khan, who described it all as moving and “oh-so-expressive”.

“The comedy and of course the dances were some roaring good thrills,” said a viewer.

Stars who took the final bow were Sara Bhatti as Jahan Ara, Usman Mukhtar as Imran Khan, Hassan Raza as Mehboob Ahmed, Hina Rizvi as Sultana and Asad Gojar as Chaudhry Sahab.

According to the director Dawar Mahmood, the income from the play will be donated to writers, artists and poets who have spent their lives in the contribution of art.

The play will continue in Lahore after the Islamabad run.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2019