KARACHI: House Arrest, a play by distinguished writer Anwar Maqsood, directed by Dawar Mehmood and produced by the Arts Council of Pakistan, will be staged from Jan 15, 2025.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Arts Council President Ahmed Shah on Friday, Mr Maqsood said he has been prohibited to tell the story of the play.

“I first named the drama Ghar No: 804. Shah Sahib said no, change it. I then came up with the title Extension. He again refused the title. Shah Sahib suggested I come up with something that’s to do with marriages. So I said let’s name the play Adiala Bana Aya Re. He turned down that as well… Finally, we settled on House Arrest. The thing is that it’s a simple story, not against anyone. I hope you will enjoy it,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Shah said the rehearsal for the drama will begin soon.

“The reason for starting it in January is that right now we are having an Awami Theatre Festival, after which we will hold the International Urdu Conference and a Children’s Festival. But the biggest piece of good news is that Anwar sahib was working on this idea for the last two years [which has now materialised]. I will not let you in on the details of the play. Anwar Sahib is our mentor and patron. Before him, his late sister Fatima Surraya Bajia was our patron.”

Mr Mehmood, the director of the play, said it’s his tenth play with Anwar Sahib and the most challenging one. “I’m not allowed to tell the story. Anwar Sahib has written it ‘in form’. Call it form or shararat. There are, as a writer, many masterstrokes in the script. I will try to do justice to it. Islamabad has containers all around and Lahore has its issues. Karachi is the only city where activities are happening.”

The play will run until a day before the holy month of Ramazan.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2024