KARACHI: Some theatre practitioners believe that theatre is the actor’s medium. One can give arguments in favour of the maxim as well as against it. The fact remains, an actor performing live in front of an audience is an intimidating task, especially when the task involves making those who have come to watch their performance laugh at best and putting a smile on their faces as the bare minimum requirement.
A comedy titled Ladies Tailor written and directed by Sameena Nazir that completed its three-day run on Sunday evening in the Arts Council of Pakistan’s Upstairs Studio was a mixed bag. It could have been a memorable production had a couple of actors tried a bit harder to lend an air of (comical) believability to their characters.
The play has a tailor, Shaukat (Owais Rehan), as the protagonist who makes clothes for women. He has a younger assistant (Hashir Faraz). Despite the fact that he needs to deal with women in his profession, Shaukat is shy of them. He is religiously inclined, doesn’t like to make eye contact with womenfolk and acts uncomfortable when a discussion on certain sizes of clothes takes place. His assistant, however, is quite the opposite.
Shaukat has a regular client Hoor (Tooba Hashmi) who is effervescent and wants to act modern, although she doesn’t come from the affluent segment of society. Every time she comes to the tailor shop, Shaukat feels on edge. Apart from these three, there’s the character of an older woman (Sameena Nazir) who brings Shaukat photos of girls for him to choose as his wife.
The eighth play in the series of School of Visual and Performing Arts alumni completes its three-day run at Arts Council
One evening, Hoor and Shaukat get locked in the shop because of a strike that’s happening on the streets. And from there on, the story takes a different turn.
Ladies Tailor has its funny moments. The problem is that the male lead Rehan’s gestures and mannerisms are so predictable that it takes away the element of surprise from the script. It may be the need of the character, but in order not to let your craft become foreseeable, good actors go the extra mile.
Nazir also sounds a little lackadaisical for her role. Had she added some verbal oomph to her lines, she’d have played a more effective part. Hashmi is the standout performer of the lot. One says that because not only does she deliver her lines with the kind of uncouth charm that she’s supposed to, she also owns the stage with her movement.
The play was eighth in the series of the council’s School of Visual and Performing Arts alumni.
Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026
