It all began when a “bunch of youngsters” came to satirist Anwar Maqsood and narrated the entire story of Aangan Terrha like a school lesson. Maqsood was moved by their conviction, but said that turning the biggest hit of the late 1980s into a theatrical play was a “daunting idea”.
The young actors that came to him included Dawar Mehmood of KopyKat Productions, who is now the director of Aangan Terrha. Along with Maqsood, he briefed the media about the comeback of Aangan Terrha on Thursday afternoon at the Karachi Arts Council.
Taking a jibe at the socio-political situation of Pakistan, Maqsood said, “Aangan 1983 mein bhi Terrha tha or 2013 mae bhi tera hai (The situation was unfavourable in 1983, just as it is in 2013).”
No one but a satirical genius like Maqsood could compress a 13-episode show into a 100-minute long stage play. “When you were able to summarise the entire history of Pakistan in 90 minutes for Pawnay 14 August, then this should not be a great task for you,” Maqsood quoted the team of KopyKat Productions, while explaining why he took up the challenge.
The satirical TV show Aangan Terrha touched upon different social issues and was an indirect criticism of former ruler Ziaul Haq’s martial law regime. The original show starred Salim Nasir, Bushra Ansari, Arshad Mehmood, Shakeel and Durdana Butt in the main roles, while Lehri, Moin Akhter, Alamgir and Qazi Wajid made guest appearances. “This time around, I want youngsters to take charge of Aangan Terrha,” said the writer.
“I could have easily taken the original cast and they would have loved to perform it,” said Maqsood. “Per unka aangan seedha ho chuka hai. Nayi nasal ka aangan terrha hai (their condition has improved but the new generation has shortcomings),” he added.
Mehmood said that he is nervous and excited about doing something “as incredibly brilliant as Aangan Terrha” on stage.
“When we founded KopyKat Productions, I used to tell my friends that I will do Aangan Terrha on stage, but no one took me seriously,” said Mehmood. “Today, it feels like my dream has come true because Aangan Terrha was the reason why we started doing theatre.”
Tickets are available for Rs1,500 at the Karachi Arts Council, where Aangan Terrha will be performed at 8:30pm for 90 days starting from February 8.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2013.
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