Tanveer Abaas: Man behind the set

The Express Tribune explores the story of an aspiring actor who ended up making a career in set-design.

KARACHI: The Pakistani entertainment industry is a very small wonder, the actors and directors who perform on theatre are often seen on stage. While most join the world of glamour to get famous, only a few survive on stage and the rest end up working behind the curtain. Similar is the story of Tanveer Abaas, whose career started as a backstage runner which made him the set-designer of elaborate plays like Bombay Dreams.

“Like everyone else, I also wanted to become an actor. So I left everything and joined Anjum Ayaz’s theatre company Creative Workshop, where I made my debut as the backstage runner,” Abaas told The Express Tribune.

Though not a significant member of the crew, Abaas got the opportunity to become a part of the production team for the stage production of Saadat Hassan Manto’s play Baadsha Ka Khatma and Mohammad Bhai.

“I was promoted to a prompter from a backstage runner,” said Abaas, who later became the part of Tehrik e Niswan’s production team and went on to help the likes of Khalid Ahmad in popular plays like Tafteesh.

“Despite all the tea serving and floor mopping that I had to do to make my standing in the industry, I am proud that all the Manto plays which I assisted the director with or in some cases ran  errands for actors, I ended up performing  as an actor,” Abaas said about his acting experience.

While he continued to explore his acting skills, little did Abaas know that a flourishing career in set-design stood ahead of him as he helped out in set construction.

He formally entered the field after the formation of Napa (National Academy of Performing Arts), it was then that he was asked to erect an already designed set.

“I was called by Napa to erect the set of Chekov’s Seagull, which Anjum Ayaz had designed, that was my break into the craft. Later on I went on to design most of the sets of NRT (Napa Repertory Theatre) productions,” Abaas told The Express Tribune.

Some of Abaas’ master pieces include the double-storey set of Wakeel Sahab. Dil ka Kiya Rung Karoon was another phenomenal set with a very complex yet very relatable ambience. The sets of Napa’s most-performed play Khwabon Ka Musafir was also designed by Abaas who erected a post-partition household scene.

For Abaas, the most outlandish project to date has been that of Bombay Dreams.

“The director wanted two worlds in it: one at the character’s poor Bollywood influenced home and one in Bollywood itself.

When I designed both the sets, Shah Sharahbeel(producer) was so happy that he said, ‘It is much better than what we expected in Karachi’,” Abaas told The Express Tribune.

Apart from theatrical productions, Abaas also recreated the temple of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti in Karachi which is originally located in Ajmer.

“Khwaja’s devotees present in Karachi were kneeling down to that roza (temple) and even Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaz’s direct disciple/Gadi Nasheen embraced me and said, ‘We are grateful to you for recreating Ajmer Sharif here in Karachi’,” Abaas said remembering the appreciation.

After creating many sets, Tanveer Abaas still believes that one needs to have an eye for set-design and a very good understanding of the script. He believes that people come to theatre to get the perfect escape from their lives and if it doesn’t happen, then the set-designer and director have both failed terribly.

“No one is born to be creative, I still enjoy acting more than anything, whenever I perform in Napa plays but set-design is my recognition and I am proud of it,” said Abaas.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2011.