In sweet memory of Babu Baral

Late thespian’s iconic ‘Shartiya Mithay’ revived and currently showing for audiences at Alhamra Hall

LAHORE:

In a time when commercial theatre with a message is a rarity, revival of the late Babu Baral’s magnum opus Shartiya Mithay is a breath of fresh air. Full of nuances encouraging children with special needs to lead regular lives, the comedy play has been showing since August 12 at Alhamra Hall, riveting the attention of families in the city. This version pays homage to the iconic Babu, who was the original writer and director of the play. Babu’s play was run for four consecutive months and garnered record-setting revenue.

This time around, Shartiya Mithay has been penned by Chand Baral, Babu’s nephew, and directed by stage actor Goshi Khan, both of whom also feature in the play. “We’ve shown the next generation in our version of the play. We’ve tried to follow in the footsteps of Babu Baral, as he was a big name of Pakistani theatre,” said Chand. “Although we can’t come at par with his acting prowess, I want to set the trend of reviving works to honour local legends,” he added.

Goshi is content that their version of the play has been a raving success. “It’s not easy to break the record set by Babu’s play, but we’re happy that the cast and crew have collectively worked to make it a success. There’s a need to present such plays if we want to continue to stage quality work,” he noted. Chand added, “I feel lucky that families have flocked to the theatre to watch the show.”

While Ashraf Rahi reprises his role as Kalu, who runs a network of beggars, Chand depicts a blind child in Shartiya Mithay two. In order to uphold the spirit of the original work, big names, such as Amanullah Khan, Irfan Kashmiri, Hasan Murad, Sehar Khan and Gulnaz, have been roped in for the play. Reminiscing about the legendary Babu, Amanullah said, “I’m enjoying performing in the play, but sorely miss my friend [Babu Baral]. We had a wonderful time working on Shartiya Mithay one.”

Chand shared that he has attempted to show the audiences that even if children are visually impaired, they’re just as important for their family. Stage dancer Gulnaz lauded the play’s director, writer and team to bring to the fore a topic that requires the society’s attention. “We’re acting in this play with a mission – to highlight the plight of children with special needs and push the authorities to uphold children’s rights,” she stated. “Besides this, we will donate 10 per cent of our revenue for these children via different platforms.”

Shartiya Mithay part two, which has been showing every day and twice on Sundays, is expected to be extended beyond its planned 16-day spell. “Given its growing popularity, we’re contemplating staging another spell of the play,” revealed Chand. With the ticket priced at Rs800, the team has garnered an estimated Rs0.2 million through each show, covering their costs that amount to Rs1.2 million.

According to audience member Bilal Ahmad, “In addition to featuring a strong lesson, Shartiya Mithay two has a high entertainment quotient because it includes dance numbers. I watched the show with my family and it’s commendable that there’s no vulgarity in the version.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st,  2015.

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