‘Adaptation cannot do justice to work of fiction’

KARACHI: The challenge of adapting the work of a writer into another medium is to understand how each medium works in its entirety and then make the transformation. This opinion was largely shared by the panelists of the session, “Crossing Genres: Transmuting fiction into drama” at Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) day one. 

In answer to the introductory question posed by editor and fiction writer Muneeza Shamsie as to what happens to work of fiction when it’s dramatized, author and journalist Alex Preston was of the opinion that in majority of the cases the stylistic treatment of the book is lost, however, if done right there is a chance that it will come better than the book. “What works on the page does not come on screen,” said Kamila Shamsie, adding that adaptation and transformation of work from one medium to another is indeed a miracle.

On the mention that Pakistan has a limited theatrical drama presence, faculty member IBA Social Sciences and Liberal Arts Department, Framji Minwalla said that performances although cannot be seen at the conventional, drawing- room-comedy sense they are witnessed from time to time. Television and theatre actor, Nimra Bucha pointed out that its because the cost of setting up a stage performance is huge especially when it comes to venue rents. “The reason that events like Daastangoi are held is because there a rise in dramatic readings in Karachi, which is more out of necessity than interest,” she said.

As the discussion moved towards the dilemma of English plays being translated into Urdu, Minwalla said that issues in the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe are indeed closer to home. Bucha counter argued that it’s because there isn’t enough work in Urdu for theatre, hence, the work is translated in the hope that the audience will relate to it.

Arshia Sattar who has worked extensively in Sanskrit epics in India said that the transformation of one genre to another is like seeing your daughter getting married and moving to another home. “She still remains your daughter, in any case,” she said. Talking about her work she said that the only reason people come and watch the dramatized version of epics is because of the power of the teller.

On Preston’s question on what universities and liberal arts colleges of Pakistan work to tone down the transition of fiction work in to theatre, Minwalla said there is little mentoring and guidance even though the desire and need is there. Sattar on a lighter note said that the good part about bad university theatre is that students overcome their stage fright if not anything else.