KARACHI: There was a time when filmmakers, poets and short story writers in the subcontinent used a railway station or of waiting rooms at railway stations as a romantic metaphor for going down memory lane to highlight the choices that we make in our lives. Indian poet and moviemaker Gulzar’s iconic film Ijazat is a powerful example. These days, it doesn’t happen as much in our nook of the world. French playwright Jean-Pierre Martinez’s Last Chance Encounter has the same setting but with a different and layered objective. Adapted into Urdu as Mulaqat by Waqas Akhter, who also stars in the story along with Tooba Naeem, the play had its premiere at The Second Floor (T2F) on Friday evening.

Mulaqat — directed by Osama Ranjha and co-directed by Saima Kamal — is a two-hander. A woman (Tooba) and a man (Waqas) meet on a railway platform. They have no clue about each other. The one thing that they have in common is that both are headed to destinations they have never been before. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the train is not coming, and it’s after no fewer than three hours that the next train is expected to arrive. As a result of this unexpected happening, they strike up a conversation. This leads to the unraveling of a story through the protagonists which at times seems real and a few minutes later appears like a figment of their imagination(s). Interestingly, the audience keeps guessing as to who’s telling the truth and what actually transpired in their lives… and what didn’t.

Mulaqat will conclude its three-day run at T2F today

The play has a lot going on in its favour. Despite the visual sameness [there’s only a bench on which the two characters sit or stand in front of it] the story has the audience’s undivided attention. Waqas seems to have learnt the lines better — perhaps because he’s adapted the script — than Tooba, but somehow together they manage to hold their own. Although one understands that due to the limited space available at T2F the actors are cramped for room, movement in a play helps the body language of performers become more flexible. Bearing this in mind, the directors [Osama and Saima] do a fine job in using the sound of a train coming and going, and subsequently of a man speaking from back stage, at the right moments to create the illusion of movement. Nice effort.

Mulaqat will conclude its three-day run on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2025