LAHORE: A play, Filmnagar (Story Revival Ki), will be staged for three days from Feb 6 till Feb 8 at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Conceived and Produced by Rabia Hassan, the story of the play is by Ahsan Afzal while dialogues are by Hassan Malik. It has been directed by Amir Nawaz and Rabia Hassan. The choreography and costumes are by Gulshan Majeed.

The cast includes veteran actor Irfan Khoosat besides Sarfaraz Ansari, Sam Khan, Zeeshan Haider, Esha Malik, Hassan Raza, Esha Shakeel, Tanveer, Zaheer Taj and Zohaib Haider.

Filmnagar (Story Revival Ki) is a satirical play that throws light on different eras of the Pakistani cinema through characters and talks about the issues that revolve around the revival of the cinema.

The play is about the son of Mr Era and Ms Story, who once earned the title of ‘Golden Era’. Under the influence of bad company, Mr Era weds Formula Jee, a character in the play, loses fame and fortune and becomes Gaiyra. With the passage of time, Gaiyra realises his mistake, sends his son, Revival, abroad to become knowledgeable and regain the lost lustre of their home, Filmnagar.

Upon his return, they realise that he does not fit in their expectations at all. Moreover, he weds Drama against their will and is asked to leave home. With a pledge to prove himself and get back to Filmnagar, Revival tries his luck, but Public rejects him and he fails. Under the influence of his wife, Drama, and infamous gangster, Bollywood, he further loses his identity.

One of the directors of the play, Rabia Hassan, says, “Revival of cinema began almost 13 years back. It is a term we have read and heard about much often when Pakistani cinema is under discussion which highlights certain factors that influence it. Since I am myself a visual artist and a film critic, I simply chose to depict this scenario through theatre which is another important branch of performing arts and suffers the same fate as our cinema. I saw great potential in this unique theme that is not only challenging but intends to bring entertainment, joy and knowledge about our film history to people through a theatrical performance”.

Co-director Aamir Nawaz has termed the play as one of the most challenging productions of his life as it revisits 70 years of film history within 90 minutes on stage.

“We are dealing with all aspects of a production with a very progressive approach without any compromises. It’s a big musical piece but unlike the traditional theatre as normally produced in Lahore. This unique presentation forced me to remain creative during all the pre-production time,” adds Nawaz.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2020