Hilarious play brings crowd to its feet

ISLAMABAD: A genuinely funny play with a refreshing dose of some original script writing. At long last, the actors are not vaguely attempting to recreate characters from popular movies or television shows. Instead, the characters in ACT 144 are inspired by our own culture and the references are very desi (e.g. Mohammad Asif, Veena Malik, Arif Lohaar, Salman Khan).

The major motor of their humour is Jugatbazi (banter), an art that most of us have grown up attempting in school, and one that Punjabi stage shows have perfected.

The play will continue to be performed at 7:30 daily in Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) till Sunday.

The name ACT 144 seems a bit confusing at first, but it refers to a city-wide curfew. The play follows the story of two amateur robbers who enter a home just before Section 144 is imposed. This leaves them stranded in the house occupied by three women and an old man. The old man (Dada jee) was played by Shafqat Khan, and as usual, his reputation preceded him. His entry was marked by resounding applause, and he earned standing ovations from the crowd on numerous occasions.

Dada jee’s legs were paralysed and he was confined to a wheel-chair. This seemed, at first, like a dangerously wasteful move. Much of Shafqat’s hilarity is in the comical way he moves his limbs, and to restrict his character to a seated position threatened to handicap his effect.

These concerns disappeared quickly as Shafqat masterfully merged with the wheelchair to use it as an extension of his body and create a Dada Jee who proved to be more than a handful for the robbers.

Asfandyar Munir played the role of the larger muscular-but-dimwit robber, and simultaneously cashed in on the Pathan stereotype. “Billa” spoke in a strong khocha accent and often had the audience clutching their sides from laughter. He also managed to create moments of “awkward silence” humour, a rarity in the loud and booming world of live theatre.

The Express Tribune asked a few Pukhtun members of the audience if they took offence to the portrayal, but most said that it was all in good spirit. “The big-baby-gorilla was kind of cute, and you can’t deny that the stereotype exists, so might as well get a few laughs out of it,” said Nahyan Shahzada, a Pakhtun student.

Hats off to the writer Yasir Hussain for writing the funniest bi-lingual play of this year. Director Dawar Mehmood has promised to bring the play back for a longer run as soon as he gets dates again. “It is very difficult to get dates from the PNCA, a lot of last minute schedule changes keep forcing us to postpone,” said Mehmood.

ACT 144 is produced by Hareem, who also plays one of the major roles in the play (the mother). Her interaction with the classic “Police Wala” character (Inspector Deepak Tejori) provides more diversity to the type of humour employed. This scribe strongly recommends the hilarious comedy play that runs for just over an hour.

Ticketing information: 0345-5577711

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2010.