LAHORE – There’s no doubt that stage plays are an ultimate source of recreation for a specific stratum of our society. These stage plays mostly concentrate on producing witty dialogues by discussing ironic gestures, sexual metaphors and seductive dances.
People enjoy hours of these plays according to their taste as some people go to theatres to see women dance, some find pleasure in the dirty jokes while others enjoy the satirical taunts and postures. Whether they are taunts or dance performances, the actors in these dramas know how to capture the attention of people.
The dialogues spoken in these plays are closely related to the life of a common man and thus the audience is able to relate to the plot of the play. At times the characters interact with the audience by asking questions or by calling them names. They usually try to make their audience laugh by highlighting a few obvious Pakistani drama gestures.
Cast: They criticise different castes and pin up ridiculous attributes to them that talk no sense but it still makes people laugh.
Physical Features: They discuss colour, height and posture and produce odd sentences by comparing them with some weird things.
Possibilities: They also talk about incidents that have never occurred but always have a chance to take place. Again, these are the incidents that can be related to life.
Occupation: Characters on the stage also make fun of occupations. They discuss the professions in such a way that the audience cannot help laughing.
Dance: Is the most important feature of Punjabi shows as most of the people come to theatres only to see the seductive dances. Female performers try to highlight some specific physical gestures while dancing. They maintain eye contact with the people sitting in the front row and sometimes smile and wink at them as well. These are the moments that actually pay back the audience.
Title: Titles of these stage plays are mostly stolen from Indian songs and films. Usually the title verse of any Indian item song or the name of any hit film becomes the caption of a new Pakistani Punjabi stage play. Some of the titles of these stage dramas are: Don, Munni Badnaam Hui, Hont Raseelay Tere, Chaska etc.
Script: These stage shows do have a plot and script but neither of the two is followed strictly by the actors. Once the characters are on stage, their acts and talks become spontaneous. They change the script according to the environment of the play and need of the character.
A BUSINESS: We cannot overlook the fact that these stage shows have become a reasonable source of income for the actors. In our country where every industry is faced with financial problems, the trend of stage shows is not declining. The reason is that these plays help in providing relief to the otherwise crisis-stricken people, and also helps the actors in earning money and fame.
Several stage actors have made their ways into people’s home through satirical talk shows. Sohail Ahmad, a famous actor is working in Hasbe Haal programme for Dunya TV. Express TV is utilising the experience of famous stage actor Khalid Abbas Dar for its political satire Dar and Darling while Geo TV is utilizing the expertise of Sakhawat Naz and Amanullah in Khabarnak.
Moreover, stage actors are also moving towards India due to their exceptional potential. A Pakistani stage actor Shakeel has worked for an Indian comedy show Comedy Circus that is a good omen for rest of the stage community. As Punjabi stage shows are enriched with our culture and usual way of talking, that is the reason, people encourage them and sit through the whole show.
