KARACHI: Three pieces of performing arts were lined up at the World Culture Festival 2025 organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan on Sunday. In 2014, Dukhtar directed by Afia Nathaniel was Pakistan’s official entry for the foreign language film category at the Oscar awards. It was, in those days, a widely discussed movie because of its sensitive subject. So, it’s screening as Marquee Day on Sunday evening was a significant event.

Dukhtar pivots around a young mother who protects her 10-year-old daughter whose marriage to an older man has been arranged to settle a tribal feud. The cast included Samiya Mumtaz, Ajab Gul, Mohib Mirza, Saleha Arif and Abdullah Jan.

The audience at Auditorium No 2 of the council where the film was shown had the audience’s, which didn’t pack the hall but were enough to merit a mention, total attention. From the time the mother Allah Rakhi (Mumtaz) escapes from the village with her daughter, the film gathers pace which never loses its momentum. Hence, the audience’s attention.

A theatre play Mulaqat directed by Osama Ranjha and co-directed by Saima Kamal — adapted into Urdu by Waqas Akhtar from the French play, Last Chance Encounter by Jea-Pierre Martinez — also garnered quite a bit of interest on Sunday.

Previously staged in September at T2F, the drama tells the story of a woman and man who meet at a railway platform. They seem to be total strangers to each other. As the characters engage in a conversation, and as the train they’re waiting for doesn’t come, the story moves along with both mysterious and romantic overtones.

The last item on the programme list for the evening was a dance performance called Rhythms of the World.

The participating dancers included Nighat Chaudhry, Gillian Rhodes and Raiz.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2025