KARACHI:
Karachi’s finest actors will shine on the stage with their performances in two upcoming plays presented by the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) Repertory Theatre (NRT) on December 15.
With theatrical genius Zia Moheyeddin behind the curtain, veteran actors of Pakistani television Rahat Kazmi and Naila Jaafri are all ready to give their best performances in stage plays titled “Salgirah” and “Shaam Bhee Thee Dhuan Dhuan”.
Penned by Indian playwright Javed Siddiqi, “Salgirah” is about a suave, sophisticated couple whose marriage is on the rocks. They decide to part in a civil manner but are still drawn to each other. The rest of the play is about how the couple tries to cope with the separation.
“Shaam Bhee Thee Dhuan Dhuan” is an adaptation of a Russain play which Rafiq Anjum has translated in Urdu. The story is about a headstrong man and woman who are imprisoned in their loneliness but circumstances compel them to get close to each other.
Actor-narrator-director Zia Moheyeddin has directed both of the short plays with Kazmi and Jaafri in the lead roles. The plays will be presented back-to-back with an interval to break the two performances. Napa’s artistic director Zain Ahmed and the plays’ associate director Akbar Islam were present at the press conference that was held to announce the new plays.
“We have been rehearsing six hours a day for the past six months,” says Kazmi. “It has been a difficult task for me.” He believes the two plays are demanding for him as an actor because he has to switch between two entirely different characters in a matter of two hours.
“The intricacy of relationships makes both of the plays significant,” he adds. “The roles are woven in a very intense web of relationships.” Kazmi spoke about the themes in the play but did not want to give away too many details about the plots.
“However, the real challenge was working with a strict director like Zia Sahab,” explains Kazmi. “If I made an extra sound by the slip of my tongue during the rehearsals, he would walk up to me and say ‘yeh tau script mae nahin likha tha’,” he adds laughingly.
On the other hand, Jaafri feels that the past three months have been the most incredible months of her life. “For the first time in my life, I have actually realised what ‘drama’ really is,” she says.
Jaafri feels that working with masters like Kazmi and Zia Sahab has taught her the most important details of acting, which she wouldn’t have discovered without them.
“What worries me is if this is what you actually call ‘drama’, then the past 25 years of my acting experience has gone to waste,” says a concerned Jaafri.“What is happening on TV is utmost trash, but what is happening in this academy is what you call art.”
As she continues to talk about the rehearsals, she says they have been the “most wonderful” three months. “I am glad I actually learnt something before leaving this profession,” adds Jaafri.
It’s been a while since Karachi got a break from the usual grand productions with pelvic thrusts on Indian item numbers. The two plays seem to offer non-traditional themes and rich content with a seasoned cast and Mohyeddin’s directorial experience. It’s time NRT shifted gears to bring forth quality entertainment for the city residents.
Going to India
Artistic director Zain Ahmed announced Napa’s participation at the international theatre festival which will be held at the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. Napa will be performing for the third time. Their performance titled “Mantorama” will be a tribute to Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
“The students will also perform excerpts from ‘Mantorama’ that show conversations between Manto and writer-poet Mirza Ghalib and ghazals at the literary festival in Kolkata,” shares Ahmed.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2012.
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