With back-to-back performances played out to full houses in Karachi, the theatre-going culture has been revitalised. So much so, that a popular venue like Karachi Arts Council has already been booked for the whole year. While patriotic scripts like Pawnay 14 August have enthralled the audience, there is room for romantic classics like Aapki Soniya.
Written by Indian playwright Javed Siddiqui, Aapki Soniya is a sequel to Tumhari Amrita, a well-received play in India which involved veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Farooq Shaikh.
At the presser held to announce the schedule for Aapki Soniya, actor-turned-director Alyy Khan was present with the actors of the play, Sajid Hasan and Mehwish Hayat, at Southend Club. The play will be performed at the club from June 14 and is expected to continue for 17 days. After Karachi, the play is expected to be performed in major cities of the country.
Aapki Soniya was first performed in India in 2005, starring Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre along with Shaikh. Khan’s rendition brings Hasan back to the theatre stage years after he left working in theatre plays.
Sharing her experience of working in theatres, Bendre’s counterpart in the reprisal, Hayat said, “Theatre has always been a test for me; be it working with a younger cast in a musical or with seasoned actors like Sajid and a perfectionists like Alyy.” Hayat seemed optimistic about the audience turnover at the play and said that she hopes the audience will appreciate the efforts put in by the cast and crew in producing Aapki Soniya.
Hasan said he owes the revival of theatre culture in Karachi to veteran writer and lyricist Anwar Maqsood. “The success of Anwar sahib’s plays has given us the confidence to fasten our seatbelts and get ready to perform on stage.”
“I must appreciate the efforts of Karachi Arts Council in reviving theatre and giving a chance to young and old actors to experiment with this medium,” continued Hasan. He added that an alternate space like Southend Club could be used if other spaces are booked or if there is unrest in the city.
Director of the romantic play, Khan opened the press conference by taking the audiences down memory lane. He revealed that he started professional acting when he was only nine years old.
He also spoke about projects he has lined up for the Pakistani television industry. “I work for television because I have a family to feed,” said Khan, adding that theatre is where his heart is, even after spending more than three decades in the television and film industry. “Theatre is what runs in my blood; you can literally call it my holy grail,” he said.
Khan believes that directors are lucky if they find actors who can do something as labour-intensive and complicated as the medium of theatre. He expressed contentment in finding the right combination of experience and beauty in Hasan and Hayat. “You get spoiled when you work for TV, as you have a number of assistants running around for you. On the contrary, it’s never the case when it comes to theatre,” he elaborated. “The onus is on you and that is why the aura of spending hours with your co-actors in a closed rehearsal space with no intrusions is larger than life.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.
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