A delightful comedy, though in its typical former style, Pak Zar Zameen written by Imran Aslam and performed by the Gripps Theatre, had everyone in stitches for over an hour. A reflection of the current times; the racy dialogues, the sparkling wit and the lewd references showed that the writer has not lost his touch.
Gripps Theatre was initially started by the late Yasmeen Ismail, Imran Aslam, Sajeeruddin and Khalid Anum for children many years ago. Later, they began performing for grown-ups and chose to present plays in a cabaret style, a satire done in the style of stand-up comedy on the current political situations. They have also performed in Dubai and India, with their performance Lines out of Control (LoC) being a huge hit in the latter.
The 15th in a series of plays, Pak Zar Zameen was performed at the Royal Rodale Club in Karachi to a full house recently. Sajeeruddin as the notorious Jiyala made a grand entrance with his usual exuberant style, commenting on the political scene and his hankering for the opposite sex.
What is interesting about the roles of the players is their consistency. Jiyala and Bay Sharif played by Faiza Kazi continue as the loyal government servants — she slightly neurotic and he forever busy in some clandestine situation, and both entangled in the bureaucratic circumstances created by their bosses and the politicians. Then we have Ayesha Sheikh playing an exotic lass, here as the sassy foreigner Euro Loan Day, and Ali Saleem forever in a female`s role, caricaturing actress Meera with his impeccable impersonation. Khalid Anum is the only person in the stereotypical circle playing a different role each time — in Pak Zar Zameen it is serious and sober and very different from his previous comic characters.
The story centres round Obama and America, ladled generously with references to local politicians and government representatives. Satianas Awamunas, played by Khalid Anum, is the voice of the people who brings hope to the audience with statements like “I am proud to be a Pakistani and want to save the country.” Jiyala`s one liners “We began in the Jinnah Hospital, went to Civil, then CMH and are now in Civil Hospital on NRO drips” and “Bakher jaur day” has become “ Bakher Bajaur day,” and again “Osama or Obama ki larai mein hamara saraygama baj gaya,” were very popular with the crowd. Though the performance had many hilarious moments it was not as exuberant as the previous ones, perhaps due to the sad times we are going through. But it ended on a positive note with the artistes singing Sohni dharti Allah rakhay and the audience joining in.
