A play within a play

Former students of Napa star in the two-hour play.

KARACHI: We are all aware of the chaos, tantrums and mess-ups during theatre plays. Now an actual play will show you just that.

“Khel Jari Hai”, which is an adaptation of Rick Abbot’s Play On, is a comedy of errors about how a theatre company, preparing for its opening night, faces a host of problems that keep ruining the rehearsals.

It will open at the Arts Council, Karachi, on October 23 till the end of the month. Former students of the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) are starring in the two-hour play.

“We were saddled with allegations that Napa only focuses on Shakespeare and other classics. We wanted to do something different,” says Rahat Kazmi, veteran actor and director of the play, adding, “So we chose comedy.”

From the whimsical and fickle scriptwriter, who changes the lines daily, to the actors’ tardiness and the unprofessional attitude of others, “Khel Jari Hai” will keep you entertained, promises the director and his team.

However, Napa director Arshad Mehmood is anxious as opening night draws near. “We are trying to establish theatre in Karachi in all its manifestations,” he says, adding that this time, they have brought ticket prices down to Rs600 in the hope to attract more people. “Our last play did not get a very good response,” he says. “We have tried reducing the price, but if this doesn’t work, it is back to Rs800.”

A former student of Napa, Ali Shaikh, is playing three characters in the play. “I am playing Shahnoor, the villain who tries to sabotage the play, a character called Dr Bukhari as well as myself,” he explains.

Describing how backstage drama and lack of chemistry among the actors will translate into a theatrical hotchpotch, Shaikh said a light comedy is perhaps just what is needed right now. On the lack of women students at Napa, he said the future for a performing artist was very uncertain these days and so many chose to opt out. However, the play does star two female lead actors: Bakhtawer Mazhar and Mehwish Siddiqui.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2010.