Naach Na Jaane proves thundering success

LAHORE: “Naach Na Jaane” by the Kopykats Productions, directed by young director Dawar Mehmood, Anwar Maqsood’s prequel to his well-loved Aangan Terha currently being staged at the Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall, proved to be a thundering success, with continuous rounds of applaud by the audience in the jam-packed Hall-no 2 on Thursday evening.

There are pigeons fluttering in cages set on a makeshift terrace, a wooden takht with gao takiya rolled on to it, round wicker chairs and a small kitchenette in a corner. It’s an immediate nostalgic throwback to the classic drama from the ‘80s.

Akber, the main character of the play and the real showstopper, has been very skillfully played by young artist Hassan Raza, while Mehboob sahib has been played by Taha Humayun and Sara Bhatti has played Jahan Ara, the ever grumbling and critical wife of Mahboob sahib.

Asad Gujjar has done a great justice to the infamous role of Chudhary sahib, the half-wit almost illiterate typical ‘Zameendar’. Hina Rizvi has played his over-aged, innocent and dimwit sister Sultana.

Every artist played his bit in this prequel with a dedicated zest and put a life into this over three decades old sit-com, presented with a skilful manner by its director Dawar Mehmood. The play took up the serious issue of hard-pressed artists’ miserable lives in a very subtle and humorous style, without taking out the satirical pinching every now and then. The message being given between the lines remained a critical analysis of the hypocrisy of our society, the apathy of authorities concerned and the treatment of the artists in general towards the people belonging to the world of performing arts.

Dawar Mehmood, the director of the play, in a brief chat with The News on the set of ‘Naach Na Jaanay” at Alhamra, said, “The play goes back to the Zia era, immediately after Bhutto sahib‘s time when thousands of musicians and performing arts-related men and women went unemployed. About 3,500 such people committed suicide too. Akaber’s story, a classical dancer, actually displays the plight of the unfortunate artists in the Zia era.”

He revealed that every play written by Anwar Maqsood and directed by him had a humorous side to it, regardless of the seriousness of the issue or situation. “We aim to provide relief to the already hard-pressed, depressed and tension-filled people of our society. I don’t know how to make people cry, therefore, I only try to make crying people laugh,” he concluded.

The world renowned playwright and giant of the Pakistani showbiz world, Anwar Maqsood, couldn’t come over to Lahore to join the team of the play since he was attending his nephew, who is in a critical condition at hospital. However, he conveyed his best regards to all the people who came over to see the play and also to those who appreciated it. The 90-minute play kept the large number of audience laughing and glued to their seats till the curtains went down.