The Government College University Dramatics Club (GCDC), highlights dearth of true democratic values in our culture, staged Bano Qudsia's Mukhtarnama to wide applause and critical acclaim from writers, actors, students and old Ravians here at the university's Bukhari Auditorium.
The play was presented as part of GCU's 150th anniversary celebrations. "The university's Dramatics Club turns 124 this year," said Professor Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rehman, the Vice Chancellor of GCU. "We thought of many options, but decided on Bano Qudsia after an eminent old boy of GC, the famous anchor Noor-ul-Hassan proposed that we should stage an Old Ravian on this occasion," he added.
Mukhtar Nama is a play in three acts about a family led by a retired bureaucrat named Riaz Bakhtiar, who thinks he can run the country as efficiently as he runs his family. He thinks of himself as a democrat and an ideal leader; the irony is that he is neither. Omer Dar deftly establishes Riaz's messiah complex and his personal eccentricities through his nuanced performance. Dar manages to capture the audience's attention in his witty exchanges with the packer played rather well by Hafiz Habib and the family driver Basheer played by GCDC president Zohaib Zafar.
Other characters making their entries at regular intervals were Riaz's spouse, the repressed housewife Gul, (Mariam Naqvi); their fickle daughter Fareeda (Rida Sheikh), and her effeminate brother Haroon (Umar Ijaz). The second act opens with the arrival of Niaz Rasool, Riaz's wily cousin who has come to help the family pack. Abdullah Hashmi steals most of the limelight in this part of the play through his masterful acting.
The third act becomes highly symbolic with the final face-off between Riaz and Niaz Rasool resembling the strife between leaders contending for power in Pakistani society. At about this time, the chants of a procession are heard in the household. The procession is demanding the implementation of true democratic values in the country. Riaz and Niaz Rasool fight over who should lead the people. Bano Qudsia uses deliberate ambiguity to leave the play open ended for the audience.
Mukhtar Nama was written by Bano Qudsia during martial law. The play emphasises the necessity of democracy, but perhaps more importantly; makes a point of stressing the dearth of true democratic values in our culture. The directors seem to be emphasising that intolerance towards dissent is part of our culture. That is why leaders, be they tin pot dictators or elected politicians, mostly tend to promote mediocrity and prefer to surround themselves with sycophants.
In all, the GCDC team managed to deliver a powerful performance augmented with lighting effects and music. The play was directed by Dr Muhammad Salman Bhatti, Sameer Ahmed and Dr Atif Yaqub. The production team was headed by Ms Fatima Batool and Yousra Anwer. Lighting was managed by Hammad Safee Sohail. The music was handled by Muzamil Shabbir, Ali Afzal and Zukhruf Shokat.
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