It’s showtime: Karachi - Haar Na Mano, boxing in Lyari with a Broadway feel

KARACHI: After the success of Chicago and Mamma Mia, Nida Butt and Made For Stage productions will take on their first Urdu musical, Karachi - Haar Na Mano (Never give up). 

On Monday, in a small dimly lit room at the Music Art Dance (MAD) school that was accessorised with boxing gloves, twinkling Christmas lights and an elaborate sound system, the media was welcomed to a pre-show briefing of the musical which is set to be on stage in two weeks at the Arts Council. The venue overflowed with people who were quite excited about what the show had to offer. Some people said that it was a big deal because nothing like this had been done before. Others said it was good to see that everyone was so enthusiastic about theatre.

Nida Butt, a choreographer, and Hamza Jafri, a musician, came up with the play with a complete set of song and dance numbers. “It’s the first time we are doing a play in Urdu,” she said in a press statement. “And it’s also the first time we are doing a story which is so relevant to us, our city and our times.”

Karachi - Haar Na Mano has been written by Faraz Lodhi and edited by Uns Mufti and is based in the boxing rings of Lyari, where boys and men fight all day long. Lodhi wrote 12 of the original soundtracks while Jafri composed the music for them. According to Jafri, the music is edgy and quite contemporary.

The upbeat songs are what the first original musical performance in the city is all about and have catchy titles like Dakka and Aik se Das and Jin. The people who turned up for the pre-show were given a little preview and were enchanted with the performers electrifying movements. The dancers were dressed in an orange kameez and white shalwar, like the tabla players while the singers were  dressed simply in black shalwar kameezes. The songs were performed in Urdu but with an unusual Broadway feel to them.

The theme of the musical, as supported by the decor, highlighted how despite all the odds and violence in Lyari, people continued to dedicate a large amount of their time to sports - and boxing in particular.

“In reality, these people do not have any water, and electricity is another topic altogether - yet they continue to box,” said Lodhi.

He went on to explain that the politics within the Pakistan Boxing Federation and the minimal public support had reduced the sport to what it was now.

In order to strengthen the material presented in the musical, Butt and other team members dedicated hours observing people and boxing rings in Lyari. Some even kept the tempo running by participating.

The show is set to open to the public on October 22 at the Karachi Arts Council with 20 performances.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2011.