SAHIWAL: If the actors are getting whoops on dialogue delivery, none in the audience is leaving his/her seat, the spectators are singing along with the performers and the cast is given standing ovation at the end of 150 minutes long play, then as a theatre producer and street theatre practitioner you can be sure that you have hit the right chords.

This was the reaction of Huma Safdar who directed Punjabi play Sehti Waris–Manter Ik Tay Putlian Do performed by Sangat, Lahore at a private university lawn on Saturday night.

The most important aspect of the play was that all its dialogues were taken from the text of Heer Waris Shah. Around 150 minutes long play thrilled the local audience comprising of students, political and rights activists and large number of women. The play was hosted by the Harappa Foundation.

The most important aspect of play is that all the actors used dialogues which were original stanzas of Heer Waris Shah written in the 18th century.

The play’s focus was not Heer but her sister-in-law Sehti whose role was highlighted as a person who made Ranjha realise that all his ‘Jog’ and impersonification meant nothing to Heer if he did not transcend from prevailing consciousness where Heer was blamed to agree with family elders and move with the Kheras.

The play highlighted those aspects, which empowered ‘women collective’ popularly called Trinjan in Punjab language. The play challenged barriers of class, ethnicity and religion, showing how the passion of love made men equal to one another. Those who performed in the play were Uzma, Abuzar Madhu, Arooj Aurangzeb, Neha Shafqat, Momina, Sabha, Sumbal, Anza, Ali, Husnain Punjabi, Anoosh Javed and Usama while singing and music was done by Naeem and Ustad Riaz.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2021