‘Saadhay 14 August’ promo reminds you of the blood, and people behind Partition

Directed by Dawar Mehmood and penned by Anwar Maqsood, the play premieres on Independence day

The decade-long wait for the conclusion of Anwar Maqsood’s Independence trilogy is nearly over! In just four days, on the eve of Independence, Saadhay 14 August, a social commentary on life on both sides of the border, will be open to the public.

In a recent promo, we hear the loud demanding voices of former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India’s Mahatma Gandhi – the trio behind the tragedy.

Kopykats production, the banner the show is produced under, uploaded a brief promo on Monday that reminded people of the tragic consequences of the 1947 Partition of India. "Those who were left behind are in misery. Those who were uprooted are in misery," read the caption. 

 

 

 

 

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The clip begins with Churchill’s echoing voice, “Members of the constituent assembly, I’ve a message, in accordance to the king, to deliver to you today.” As soon as each dialogue is over, a huge drop of blood drops on the screen.

“We want the division of Hindustan into India and Pakistan because that is the only practical solution," says Jinnah. Featuring a smiling Gandhi’s landmark statue, a voice imitating him says, “I regard myself as a soldier, though a soldier of peace. It is complete independence that we want.”

As we see the long, now amalgamated, stream of blood going through mountains and fields, we hear loud screams of people in pain, bits of speeches by political heroes motivating their lot, and a gibberish chaos that took over the social state of the country.

“Hindu India and Muslim India must be separated,” says a voice as the divided map is shown on screen— glowing with the imminent light of fire and smoke from the bomb blasts and animalistic nature of the partition war.

Saadhay 14 August, written by Maqsood, and directed by Dawar Mehmood, will premiere on 14 August 2022, at Arts Council, Karachi. Get ready for a stroll through disputed Kashmir, Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and London with the two founders who vouched for peace and freedom—all in a musical format.