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ain Manto Nahin Hoon has sparked a huge debate on social media. Among other things it has been accused of promoting a student-teacher romance. The project that started off as a promising production and was touted as the comeback of playwright Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, has stirred all sorts of criticism.
Qamar appears to be controversy’s favourite child. One suspects even that he secretly thrives on it. He has been labelled as a misogynist on account of certain plays that portrayed women in a very negative light. Mira Sethi said in an interview that she had been offered Sanam Saeed’s role but declined as she did not wish to be associated with the writer in any way.
A case in point is the blockbuster Meray Pass Tum Ho in which Ayeza Khan essays the character of a person who abandons her husband for a richer man.
Main Manto Nahin Hoon sets out to depict a romantic relationship between a teacher and student. The play dwells on the transformation of the protagonist, Manto sahib, essayed by veteran actor Humayun Saeed once he falls in love with Mehmal, a student of his. Sajal Ali plays the role of Mehmal. Previously a quite diffident person, he becomes a “more of a man,” for want of a better expression.
Mehmal is a freshie in the university. Manto sahib, on the other hand, is a mature individual. Some universities in Lahore have since banned drama shoots on their campuses for fear of backlash. (This play was shot at BNU.)
The teacher-student angle is quite controversial. The trope compromises the sanctity of this privileged relationship
Courting controversy can sometimes be good for business. If that was what the playwright and the producer had hoped to achieve, they have succeeded. As the play has stirred up a social media storm and controversy around the plotline abounds, it may gain some new viewers who tune in simply to find out what the fuss is about.
Sanam Saeed has the role of a fellow professor, Ms Maria. Ms Maria plays second fiddle to Manto. She is always around when he needs her. Ms Maria also seems to be madly in love with Manto sahib and would go to any lengths for him. However, Manto sahib does not reciprocate her feelings. A romance between the two of them may have been socially more acceptable but may not have set the TRPs on fire. The age difference and the teacher-student dynamic may have been meant to make the plotline spicier. However, this seems to have come at the cost of making the superficial and shallow. Education, nominally, the context, is relegated to the back burner.
The writer has managed once again to stir up a hornet’s nest. TRP wise, he appears to have the Midas touch.
Given the negativity surrounding the play, even the high TRPs may not be compensation enough.
The writer is aneducationist. She can be reached at gaiteearahotmail.com