Since most events in the city were cancelled on Monday night due to the Abbas Town tragedy, the choices for entertainment were rather limited. Lush Entertainment — a production which previously put together Lovengers — stood strong and performed 0092, a play that promised to leave the Karachi crowd delighted.
If one flips through the 0092 brochure before the curtain is lifted, expectations are bound to be high. The booklet describes the character Khadim (played by Hunain Maniar) as “one of the funniest character’s (sic) in the play”. Fatima Shah, the actor playing Saleema, is touted as a young actor who is “sure to win the hearts of audiences”. Unfortunately, during the course of the play, expectations slowly turn to disappointment; Khadim appears more obnoxious than funny and Saleema is anything but endearing. Shah’s attempt to play a bimbo seems exaggerated and unnatural on many instances.
The play is about Shehryar (Ahmed Ali), a young US national who comes to Pakistan to write a report on the pre-poll situation in the country. His uncle (Waseem Dhamia) thrusts him into local politics and also into marrying his daughter (Shah). Naturally, Shehryar antagonises politicians by talking about democracy and equal rights for everyone.
Sadly enough, 0092 — titled after Pakistan’s dial code — is a case of misplaced accents and forgettable performances. With his Ayub Khoso-inspired looks and pleas for the rights of Balochistan, Khadim is supposed to be a Baloch; but his accent is very close to that of a Pathan. Similarly, Aadi Adeel Amjad, in the role of a politician, has an accent that seems to waver between Sindhi and Punjabi at separate instances.
Everything about 0092, from the abrupt ‘lights-off’ scene transitions to the arbitrarily forced song-and-dance numbers, come as a surprise for the audience — and not in a good way. Pop culture and socio-political references work their way through the narrative with the chaos of a bus charging its way through midday traffic with its horn blaring.
The only highlight, as far as acting is concerned, is Usman Ali Khan in the role of Station House Officer Noor Daad, whose performance earned more than a few sincere laughs.
Abdullah Farhatullah’s 0092 script relies entirely on one-liners woven loosely together. The flat performance is owed to a lack of shifts in power structure and an absence of crests and troughs in drama. The script itself seems largely devoid of visual action and progresses through dialogue alone. Farhatullah’s weak grasp of visual storytelling is apparent in his direction as well. Characters in focus prance all over the place without rhyme or reason, just for the sake of creating motion. Characters out of focus appear equally restless; fidgeting in places and unsure of what purpose they serve on stage.
The problem is compounded by a set which, despite its superficial finesse and apparent high production value, is entirely unimaginative and can be summed up in one word: couch.
Having said all this, some may find 0092 to be a cathartic experience, especially those who pin their hopes on a certain former cricketer-turned-politician. While the central idea of the play is poorly executed, it is evident that the cast and crew have their hearts in the right place.
The play runs daily till March 22 at the FTC Auditorium, with a ticket priced at Rs1,000.
Additional input from Rafay Mahmood
Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2013.
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