KARACHI: The passing-out class (2021) of the National Academy of Performing Arts performed the extremely nuanced play Khwabon Ke Musafir written by Intizar Husain on Thursday evening. Given that the drama was being acted out on stage by a bunch of students who have just begun their journey as actors, it came as a pleasant surprise to witness such ‘mature’ performances from newbie players.

The story of Khwabon Ke Musafir pivots around Mian Jan (Nisar Ahmed/Muazzam Malik), his wife Buji (Noreen Gulwani) and their daughter Kishwar (Shehla Shehenshah), a family of migrants which shifted to Pakistan after independence. Kishwar is of marriageable age, something that does not allow her mother to feel comfortable all the time.

Then there is Bari Bua (Rachna Kirpalani), sister of Mian Jan. She has a worldly-wise son Shahid (Ahsan Gul) who likes to throw quotes and drop names of renowned philosophers and poets — Sartre and Ezra Pound etc. Mian Jan is not fond of Shahid’s ‘modern’ and ‘enlightened’ attitude to life, but Buji foresees in the young man Kishwar’s husband. However, it is Iffo (Shah Rukh Arif), another of Mian Jan’s nephews who lives with the family that Kiswhar appears to have a romantic soft corner for. Iffo has ambitions not made of sterner stuff.

While all of this seems like a home-spun tale, the ostensibly atheist character of Shahid and the role of Master sahib (Qasim Shah), a man deeply interested in scientific development, create a counter-narrative to Mian Jan’s spiritual belief system, making the story of Khwabon Ke Musafir (on a dream journey) more layered and meaningful.

And yet, at the heart of it all is the expression-laden Urdu language spoken or used to be spoken among traditional UP families. This is where the young cast, thoughtfully directed by Zia Mohyeddin — who has now been elevated to the post of president emeritus of the academy — scores the most points, especially Rachna Kirpalani who nails the part of Bari Bua with artistic flair. This reviewer is told that the young girl has “never been in contact with Urdu-speaking women”. If that’s true, one can’t wait to see her develop as an actress.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021