Bella, Boss and Bullee staged in Karachi

The play is an adaptation of Volker Ludwig’s drama from Grips Berlin.


Saadia Qamar November 28, 2010

KARACHI: The last play directed by the late Yasmin Ismail, Bella, Boss and Bullee, was staged in Karachi last Friday. The play is an adaptation of Volker Ludwig’s drama from Grips Berlin. Translated and adapted by Imran Aslam, the performance was presented at Goethe Institute on Friday evening by Gripps Theatre Production.

Essentially a play for children, Bella, Boss and Bullee revolves around a girl Bella (Aysha Sheikh), who is unhappy to move into a new neighbourhood as her mother (Faiza Kazi), a single parent, is transferred to another branch of the bank she works for. Hardly being able to come to terms with the move, Bella befriends a boy Boss (Ameed Riaz), who is exceedingly rich but neglected by his parents. Bella also bonds with Falaana (Khaled Anum), a poor boy studying in the same locality’s school. While Falaana bullies Boss, he is himself being bullied by another boy. All three children share a similar feeling of loneliness which brings them together as they try to deal with their situations. While Boss and Falaana find motherly love in Bella’s mother, Bella finds happiness in the company of her new friends.

The play featured songs written and composed by veteran actor Khaled Anum.

Khaled Anum told The Express Tribune, “This was Yasmin Ismail’s last direction for Gripps Theatre. The play deals with the issue that parents don’t have much time to spare for their children and children lack the confidence to communicate their problems to their parents. This is constructive entertainment. In today’s world, we need to make sure we take time out for our children.”

Faiza Kazi said, “Yasmin Ismail started off Gripps Theatre in 1980 and I have been a part of it since then. Khaled Anum joined us in 1984, so it has been 25 years since we are all together and till now we have done as many as 12 children plays which revolve around child-related issues like bullying at schools. The main theme of the play remains that we must not let people bully us and in the larger frame, we as a nation should not be bullied by others. We should stand up on our own feet and should have nothing to fear about.”

Kazi says the theatre group now works together as a family.

“We all work together since Yasmin Ismail is not there anymore. I look after the direction and Khaled Anum sees through the finances, so we all collaborate.”

Riffat Afshan, a mother who came to see the play, said, “The acting by the grown-ups in the play was indeed wonderful. Sadly, no more children’s theatre is performed here in the city like it used to.”

Amna Pathan, a young student of St Joseph’s Convent, said “It was fun. It was kind of funny.” When asked if she had ever been bullied at school, she said, “It doesn’t happen in our school, it is an all-girls school.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

shameen amin | 13 years ago | Reply i'm from khs.i liked this play so much.bela's acting was fantastic!
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