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Anwar Maqsood’s ‘Siachen’ to kickstart August 14

Play is a spoof exploring what happens when a cow is sent to soldiers at Siachen for slaughter on Eid

Our Correspondent June 21, 2015

Maqsood is surprised by the huge number of audiences showing up at his plays. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Known for his work in comedy made-for-stage productions of late, such as Pawnay 14 August and Sawa 14 August, Anwar Maqsood is set to return to the stage with yet another play titled Siachen, reported Roznama Express.

The play that will be directed by Anwar Maqsood’s frequent collaborator Dawar Mehmood, who has previously helmed Pawnay 14 August and Sawa 14 August, is expected to get a houseful on its opening night on Independence Day.

According to the publication, Siachen is set to feature a vast cast of 24 people which will mostly include actors who have done an impressive job in previous Anwar Maqsood-written plays , like the stage reboots of Angan Terha and Half Plate.

The veteran playwright said that, “There is a high percentage of people in Karachi who want to watch theatre but they want to watch good quality theatre. When I started writing plays I did not expect people to turn up in such large numbers.”

The play explores the resentment caused by Pakistani soldiers slaughtering the Gau Mata in front of Indian soldiers who hold the animal sacred in Anwar Maqsood’s sharp and witty style.

In an earlier interview with The Express Tribune, Dawar Mehmood was full of praise for Anwar Maqsood saying, “Anwar Maqsood has once again written an unsullied spoof exploring what happens when instead of a goat a cow is sent to soldiers at Siachen for slaughter on the occasion of Eid.”

Read: The dharna that fizzled out

Talking about another Sarhay 14 August, the highly-anticipated sequel to Sawa 14 August, which had been announced earlier in 2013 but has not yet materialised, Dawar said that they had not been able to garner enough resources to produce that play.

“Sawa 14 August series was our milestone achievement, nothing like that has been done as yet,” said Dawar. “It’s quite an expensive theatre and costs us more than any of these movies being made in the country. I don’t want to start working on it and not be able to reach the standard it deserves,” he added.

Rehearsals for the Siachen are expected to begin after Eidul Fitr.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2015.

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