PNCA drama festival: Probing into the social dilemmas of our class-based society

‘Kahanian’ takes up a serious note, giving the audience something to think about.

ISLAMABAD:

Before “Kahanian” began, the third play in a ten-day long drama festival going on at Pakistan National Council of the Arts, the host invited the audience to fikar–an enticing prospect–with the claim that the show was different from the slapstick comedy the audiences had been treated to in the previous two days.

What followed was a solid premise that probed into the social dilemmas of our class-divided society, but with overwrought monologues and exaggerated emotional appeal, which, if it works for you, can make for an effective message, and if not, can make you snicker in your seat. Both reactions were drawn from the audience, which had packed the hall to capacity during the 80-minute play.

The story revolved around three married couples from different strata of society-an affluent couple, a middle-class one, and one from the lower class-each embroiled in the daily bitter grind of their respective social background.

Jahanara and Zohaib are a high-society couple who have been married for a decade and are the envy of their friends with their mansions and fancy cars. But Jahanara is ever suspicious of Zohaib, accusing him of being unfaithful and taunting him every minute for it, though it is left to us to decide whether he is ever unfaithful or not.

Shagufta and Hanif have been married for ten years as well, but she remains in love with someone else and is resentful of the marriage her father had arranged for her with a middle class man who can buy her none of the stuff that we observe Jahanara taking for granted in the previous scene. Though Hanif appears to be a simple man devoted to his wife, her constant shunning of him turns him into a forlorn figure.

Meanwhile, Shabbo and Choora live in wretched poverty, while she has just found out that she is expecting a child. Fearing the prospect of bringing another human being into her miserable existence, she implores Choora to let her get rid of it. He, in turn, demonstrates ignorance of her plight and ridicules her aggressively for being too melodramatic.

The writer, William Pervaiz, attempted to bring depth and layers into the plot by intermingling the lives of these characters. It turns out that Zohaib is the rich man Shagufta longs for, while Hanif may have had something to do with Shabbo’s current predicament, by attempting to exploit her need for money for his own comfort.

The ending is a bit abrupt, leaving loose ends, perhaps deliberately, to demonstrate that there is really no solace for each of the characters. Zohaib is so miserable in his marriage that he leaves Jahanara for Shagufta, his college sweetheart. Meanwhile, Choora walks off the stage in a fit of rage and promises of an adequate punishment after discovering his wife’s ‘infidelity’. The writer attempted to work in shades of grey, commendably, as we can’t make up our minds whether to feel sorry for the characters or resent them. Jahanara, though quarrelsome and petty in each scene, is a lonely woman even with all her riches and comfort. Shagufta also leaves Hanif with a touch of remorse, while Choora, despite being an abusive husband, is helpless in his own right, destined to a life of poverty. Despite the vague ending, these solid points do give the audience something to think about.

The actors--Sabir Khan, Riya Yusaf, Nain Shehzadi, Mehboob Ilyas, Taskeen Victor, Ejaz James--from Pattan Development Organisation performed earnestly, especially the actor who played the role of Choora, drawing applause from the audience a number of times, despite having to deal with some production issues such as poor use of music and lighting.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2011.