LAHORE: A play ‘Maqsood-e-Kul Hoon Main’ was staged for the third time (last day) at the Alhamra Art Center, The Mall, on Sunday.

Based on Allama Iqbal’s philosophy of ‘Khudi’, the play addressed the complexities of self-realization and its dynamic connection with the universe and the ultimate ego. It’s based on the the story of an ordinary man who finds himself in the middle of a unique kingdom that has no king. It is revealed to him that he himself was the lost king.

The hall remained jam-packed during the three days and the production proved to be an important one considering its novel script, character and outclass acting. The play kept the audience engaged as the production had a passionate and professional touch.

The play was directed and written by Raika Raza while Sheikh Ammar was the assistant director and the cast included Bilal Azeem, Humza Ghayyur Akhtar, Haroon Azam, Ali Azam and Mishal Khan.

It proved to be an excellent attempt in terms of its plots, characters, dialogues, visuals and sound effects and was widely appreciated by the audience. The play depicted the key figure going through all the stages of the transformation and the aim of his life was self-realization and self-knowledge. Therefore, Iqbal’s ‘selfhood’ was not just some work of literature or philosophical theory; it was based on the knowledge he acquired through personal experiences.

The drama was a collaborative effort by Ajanta Theatre, the International Iqbal Society and another group.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2020