Two plays presented as 'Awami Theatre Festival 2026' continues

A large number of Karachiites attend day four of the event

KARACHI:

On the fourth day of the "Awaami Theatre Festival 2026," organized by the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, two Urdu stage plays, "Bohat Ho Gayi Begum" and "Tujh Pe Qurban," were presented. At 6:00 pm, the first comedy stage play "Bohat Ho Gayi Begum" was staged. The play was written by Syed Ali Darain, while it was directed by Ahsan Amrohi. The cast included Najma, Shabbir Bhatti, Tasneem Raana, Sitara Zaidi, Ali Raza, Sawera Shah, Umair Ayoub, Imran Ali Mani, Nasir Khan, Sapna Ghazal and Naseem Butt, who displayed their acting skills. Meanwhile, at 8:00 pm, the second stage play "Tujh Pe Qurban" was presented. The play was written and directed by Hameed Rathore. The cast included Abdullah Lala, Irma Ahmed, Nasir Khan, Shabbir Bhatti, Shanzey and Talha Bhojani. The play highlights the reality that police officers fight terrorism without caring for their own lives. In their view, the law is supreme, even if their own children stand before them. On the fourth day of the festival as well, a large number of citizens of Karachi attended the event at Arts Council's Auditorium Two.

Arts Council President Mohammad Ahmed Shah said earlier that the festival involves between 400 and 500 people, including actors, directors, writers, set designers and technical staff.

He emphasised that the festival's free-entry policy ensures that theatre is accessible to all, noting that nearly 90 per cent of Arts Council programmes are offered without tickets.

Over the course of the festival, productions by a mix of established and emerging directors and writers are being staged, reflecting the diversity of Pakistan's contemporary theatre scene.