Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal and Maulana Shaukat Ali are in town, and are generating more hype than any theatrical offering has generated in a long time, courtesy ‘Pawnay 14 August’. After blowing the proverbial roof off Karachi with sheer entertainment, it’s Lahore’s turn to get a dose of what is being touted as the ‘saviour’ of Pakistani theatre.
One could hence be forgiven if one entered the Alhamra Arts Council with gargantuan expectations, which were further inflated by the fact that the scribe was asked for extra passes on three separate occasions – even though he does not border on looking like a ticket reseller – from hordes vying to trace a route into the hall. The title of the play tells that it’s of a politico-satirical nature, but when one factors in the fact that one penning this satire is the maestro of this particular genre, the anticipation justifiably becomes sky-high. When the mastermind behind Fifty Fifty, Aangan Terha, Studio Dhaai, Loose Talk, amongst other great specimens of satirical humour, serves up his humour for the first time on stage, it is normal to expect something unprecedentedly special – that unfortunately is not how this one-act play turned out to be.
The play depicts Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal and Maulana Shaukat Ali in modern day Pakistan, as they facepalm their way through many chance encounters at the waiting lounge of the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. These encounters run the whole gamut from leading politicians to political party supporters; from Bengalis to Sindhis; from Chaudhary Shujaat to Veena Malik. And while one and all seemed to quote Iqbal’s poetry and cite Quaid’s ideals, quite often misinterpreting them for their own benefit, no one actually recognised the three founding fathers of Pakistan as they sat in the lounge waiting for their flight with their tickets on chance…
As far as entertainment value is concerned, Pawnay 14 August is indeed top-drawer. It is a laugh-a-minute ride, as the play takes jibes at the politicians, their parties, their followers, celebrities, the army, PIA, our history, among other things and synthesises a satire on modern day Pakistan, that seems like a spoof of what these founding fathers intended it to be. There is many a dialogue that would give the audience laughter fits; and one would expect that from a piece written by Anwar Maqsood. The writing has all the wit and drollness that the great man can conjure up at the drop of a hat, but Pawnay 14 August lacks that rude awakening punch that one associates with the writing of the master of Urdu satire. The play highlights the fact that this isn’t Quaid’s Pakistan, nor the one Iqbal dreamt of… but hang on a minute, is that really groundbreaking news? Isn’t that what every politician – ironically the butt of much ridicule throughout the play – keeps on reminding us in every single one of their gatherings? The fact that the play is already a commercial blockbuster is understandable since it emphasises upon – and exaggerates – what the masses admire dutifully: ridiculing everything associated with Pakistan, left, right and centre without as much as giving a hint as to how to change the scenario. Relentless mocking of our socio-political scene is precisely what an average Pakistani wants to see – probably why similar satire is being broadcasted on almost every TV channel – and Pawnay 14 August gives them that in quality and abundance. Fittingly, there’s a ‘ray of hope’ in the climax, for which neither the performers nor the audience had to exercise their little grey cells. After criticising the current situation in Pakistan, it was the ‘perfect ending’ since it threw the gauntlet over to the current generation, without telling them what needs to be done, and more importantly how it could be done.
Excuse the writer for expecting more from a play written by a man who has the ability leave earth shattering messages by even the flimsiest of puns. Like for instance how he once famously transformed the line from a famous national song “Iss parcham ke saaye talay hum aik hain” to “Kiss parcham ke saaye talay hum aik hain?” and summoned a stinging query by a mere alphabetical modification. That sort of sting is not there in Pawnay 14 August.
Although to be fair, there are a few dialogues which manifest the darker side of Anwar Maqsood’s humour. Especially when the Bengali passenger, retraces the melancholy of the 1971 and how ‘West Pakistanis’ were ready to bend over in front of their enemies, but not in front of their Bengali brothers. And after leaving for his flight he asked the founding fathers why the government of Pakistan doesn’t announce a half-day on 14th August, considering that half of the original Pakistan is no longer a part of the country – that was possibly the only knockout punch that the play had.
As far as the performances are concerned, most of them were top notch; and kudos to the cast for that! There is not a single weak performer in the cast, and they do justice to the wealth of wit that is at their disposal by delivering the punches competently. However, arguably it was Dawar Mehmood – who is also the director of the play – as Maulana Shaukat Ali, who stood out among a very impressive array of actors.
All in all, the play has indubitable entertainment value and is bound to have commercial success; but if you’re looking for a revolutionary message, the only way you’d be getting that from Pawnay 14 August is if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years.
