Baba Jalinoos to be unveiled on September 11

Adaptation of Moliere’s ‘Tartuffe’ will be Napa’s first annual performance

KARACHI: All set to further its game this year, National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) introduces the first instalment — Baba Jalinoos. An adaptation of the play Tartuffe, penned by French playwright Moliere, the reworked edition is being produced under the banner of Napa Repertory Theatre (NRT).

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the director of the adaptation — Fawad Khan — shared the reason behind Napa’s decision to kick off their academic year with a comedy. “Recently NRT made the decision to perform plays which present themes and enact stories that are relevant to our society — which makes Baba Jalinoos an ideal option to hit the stage,” stated Khan.

The play revolves around a family’s patriarch, Azam, who is bound under the influence of Baba Jalinoos; a fraud and an impostor pretending to be a molvi. After winning the devotion and loyalty of the headman of the household, Jalinoos concocts a plan to marry Azam’s daughter whilst also attempting to scrounge the deed of the property.

“The play explores the theme of religious-hypocrisy that is prevalent in our society,” said Khan. This is certainly not the first time that Moliere’s Tartuffe is being adapted by a local theatre troupe. Previously, Tehrik-e-Niswan performed it under the name of Behrupiya at the International Theatre Festival organised at Napa earlier this year.

PHOTO: FILE

Despite being adaptations of the same play, Khan reiterated how the two of them were essentially different plays. “The play Behrupiya was a shorter version. It was a four-act play, whereas Baba Jalinoos will enact all five acts and will not be a musical,” explained Khan.

Known mainly for his dynamic stage direction, Baba Jalinoos would also mark Khan’s incursion into comedy. In an earlier interview with The Express Tribune, the actor-director had spoken about the challenges of directing a comedy, providing an analogy to the genre with walking a “fine line.”

“Actors should ensure they don’t try too hard to be funny. Their performance should neither be over-the-top nor low on energy. It has to be perfect,”shared Khan.

Reworked by vetran actor-director Khalid Ahmed, the play has an ensemble cast comprising primarily Napa students and graduates including Farhan Alam, Zakiullah Khan, Mahvash Faruqi, Hasan Raza, Asma Mundrawala, Erum Bashir, Kaleem Ghory, Hammad Siddiq, Muzaina Malik, Faraz Saad, Danish Ahmed and Danish Akber.

Baba Jalinoos will set play for the audience from September 11 to 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.