Oldies’ fever: Going full circle - a contemporary Haaf Playt revives glorious past

Adapted from 80s TV drama, play tickles funny bone aplenty with witticism, gripping acts.

ISLAMABAD: Emulating legendary actors is no easy feat. Yet, this is the challenge a motley crew of mostly young actors undertook this Monday evening, entertaining a large audience at the premiere of the theatre play “Haaf Playt” at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts.

The show opened to a jam-packed audience, with some scouting for seats while others settled along the steps or the stage foreground. Clearly, the management had invited more people than the hall had capacity to accommodate. A lingering queue of latecomers was left to fend for themselves as the gates were reportedly closed minutes before the announced hour.



Building upon the satirical genius of Anwar Maqsood, the play has been directed by Dawar Mehmood. An adaptation of the popular drama serial “Half Plate” which was aired on Pakistan Television (PTV) in the 80’s, the play pays homage to the veteran silver screen actors who starred in the original series, namely Moin Akhtar, Khalida Riyasat, Jamshed Ansari, Latif Kapadia and Mohsin Ali.

The script revolves around the idiosyncrasies of an elderly couple, Bano (Mariam Saleem) and Mirza Nafees Barelvi (Yasir Hussain), and their squabbles over domestic issues. The wife is perpetually taunting her husband’s indolence, dissuading him from column-writing and cajoling him to pursue a more lucrative occupation, so as to meet the household expenditure. Meanwhile, their son, Mirza Kareem Barelvi (Ishtiaq) is little help, with his less-than-promising poetic career and a lack of drive or ambition. The most animated character is the pot-bellied Butt Sahab (Zahid Ahmed), a laughing stock, both hilarious and admirable for his antics and all-Punjabi unobtrusiveness. The pristine, aspiring poetess Tamana (Alizeh Rizvi) causes a stir each time she enters the household for literary readings. Other characters such as the house servant Waheed (Nazar Hussain) and Iftikhar (Gohar Rasheed) play their parts to precision.

Punctuated by tongue-in-cheek quips, lyrical puns, biting wit and prompt comic timing, the 90-minute performance had the audience roaring with applause. While depicting the classic characters in their intrinsic elements, the play also touches upon more recent themes of social and economic crises in the country, making it all the more relevant and palatable.

Javeria, an ardent fan of the television series, said she had enjoyed watching many reruns with her family. “The play was brilliantly-adapted. There were some changes but overall, the actors did a good job,” she commented.

“I always cry at Anwar Maqsood’s plays,” remarked Aisha, another audience member. “The original was television and this is theatre, so I don’t think it’s a fair comparison but I do think these actors were very good, especially Yasir, Ishtiaq and Zahid. I think Khalida Riyasat is really tough to measure up to, but Mariam did a decent job. It was impressive,” she added.

However, some held higher expectations from the team of KopyKat Productions which had set a new precedent with stellar performances such as Pawnay and Sawa 14 August.

The play is scheduled to continue until January 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2014.