CONVERGING CONTRADICTIONS – Sabz – a conversation

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Lahore – With the number of shows it produced, Sabz, the recent play by Hazaar Dastan, was watched by many. Among those ‘many’, Abuzer, who works at a paper supplying company and claims to be an anarchist, and Sonia, a law student at LUMS and an ‘aspiring’ socialist, happen to be a little concerned about writing about this play.
A musical it is and an Urdu one and addresses youth issues and Sonia was invited by some of her communist friends and you can imagine what she must have though about the play before actually seeing it; low budget, bad acting, terribly serious, an empty hall! Well, that’s another thing that Sonia had to bear the shock when she found out that none of the nightmares had turned true. The play was witty, glamorous yet thought provoking (at times) and almost riveting.
Abuzer, standing stunned at the Alhamra, where the play was staged, couldn’t believe that the play had seen the light of the day. The play, dealing with all the non-wanted (social, religious, political) issues, was almost called off owing to Punjab governor’s assassination, which occurred two days before the opening night.
A dyslexic psyche?: Abuzer, putting all his expertise in the paper industry to task, believes that the play is Hazaar Dastaan’s remarkable debut in the world of theatre, while Sonia wonders from where the heaven did all those people pour in. Abuzer believes, the play owes its strength to the nearly flawless direction of Abdullah Farhatullah who not only wrote the play but ironically stars as Kamran, the neurotic theatre director, while Sonia still stands wondering… “Snap out of it!!” said Abuzer . Sonia snapped and responded, “It touched a lot of burning issues: the various political dilemmas, economic insecurity, the gap between the haves and the have-nots, American imperialist intervention and drone attacks, brain drain and much more. The characters were relatable: your average partly-passionate and partly-apathetic youth, equivocal about their direction in life, and even evolving as the play progressed. Most of the actors did a very commendable job in bringing their characters to life, and continued to invite vigorous applause from the audience, but I still wonder…”
Abuzer is fired up. He says, “Sabz portrays the dyslexic psyche of the general populace while urging us to act to save ourselves from the state of dystopia which we have led ourselves to. It questions our numbness to the social and political turmoil around us and asks why we do not hold people running banks and corporations to higher ethical standards than those running the state. The musical is able to focus on the youth’s disillusionment with the current social and political order of the country.”
Sonia fights back, “Well what it focuses on and what it doesn’t is a secondary issue. Did you notice the dance routines? Although beautifully choreographed (but not very well rehearsed by some of the dancers who made quite a number of mistakes), they felt strangely out of place. They appeared to have no connection with the rest of the script. They seemed an afterthought. The songs which revolved around the female lead and her being a spoilt bourgiouse brat, failed to have the desired effect for it and could hardly be heard (faulty sound system perhaps?). Moreover the chorus of ‘your strawberry eyes’ ended up sounding cheesy. Later on a friend pointed out that the very last number was a famous Leftist and anti-imperialist Indian song. Which made sense in retrospect, but sitting there, never having heard the song before and again failing to make out the words, the pun was completely lost on me.”
‘This is Pakistan’:Comes Abuzer again, “You and your communist friends Sonia… Well I’ll agree on the choreography. It was done by Wahab Shah; you expect it to be good. Dance sequences performed by Azeem and Yasir were exceptionally choreographed and ‘performed’ as well (no mistakes). Well, what is refreshing to see is that finally a play has been put on that is not based on a musical-based-on-a-film-based-on-a-musical. It is indeed original (minus the borrowed original music). The play, like life in this country, is contradictory. It questions the audience as to whether we are as intolerant and ignorant as to not even allow debate. And in the light of recent events, this is a debate we must have. Do we simply ignore the intolerance, the social and economic injustices around us or do we change what holds us back from becoming a just and tolerant society. Should we behave like the proverbial monkeys with hands covering our eyes, ears and mouth and rationalize the society we live in with the excuse TIP (This is Pakistan). Or can we finally realize that we as human beings have the right to raise questions, the right to debate, and the right to voice our opinions without fear of being murdered. “Sabz” forces us to ask ourselves these questions.”
A bit more critical, please: Sonia has a few issues (not with Abuzer, we are talking about a play here) and says, “Although the play touched on very crucial issues, and exceeded my expectations in some ways, eventually it fell short of analyzing, and proposing solutions to core issues. It talked of Inquilab, but concluded that the only Inquilab possible, at least for now, was to become punctual and honest. It talked of the plight of the poor, but did not question the capitalist system or the neo-liberal economic policies. It critiqued Pakistan’s dependence on USA, but did not move beyond. It did not question enough but advocated a benign nationalism as the solution to all our woes. It encouraged the youth to get more involved in politics without recognizing that the youth as an abstract category doesn’t exist: the play targets upper middle class teenagers and those in early 20s, whose better involvement in politics will do nothing but promote their own class interests.”
A new socially conscious
discourse:Abuzers offers Sonia a glass of water and she continues, “Every analysis, even the more astute ones, seem to stop at the doors of the state, and so was the case with this play. Perhaps there is a need to deconstruct what the ‘state’ really means: is our obsession with the state really justified? Is the state the only panacea? Or are there post-state solutions? Does everyone in Pakistan really adhere to the idea of the ‘Pakistani State’? We need to question the basic assumptions of socially conscious discourse.”
Abuzer mocks, with eyes wide open, “Are you really only a law student?” and takes the water glass back. “Well, with all complexities aside, the play overall was a little more than successful attempt. Naveed (Yasir Husssain), Mansoor (Muaz Raja) and Roshni (Jannat Nekokara) and their director Kamran (Abdullah Farhatullah) played with great enthusiasm, including Raza Shah in the role of Rana Sb. Muaz Raja, in the role of Mansoor, nicely played a semi concerned citizen to pessimistic indifference, and although no slouch in the acting department, is overshadowed by Yasir’s brilliant performance. Qudsia Sajjad who played the part of the directors’ assistant served as little more than a stage prop. Muhammad Azeem, similarly, is a revelation as ‘Item’, the chaiwala. One of the true highlights of the play was ‘Item’, who while barely on stage for 10 minutes, including his ‘Item Number’, manages to steal the show.”
Sonia is listening carefully, so Abuzer continues, “The set design provided an effective background as the studio where the troupe rehearses. The lighting was slightly overdone with the typical flashing lights that have become routine in musicals staged in Pakistan. The costumes of the main cast were awesome while the costumes of the back-up dancers were sometimes ill-fitting and probably the only indication of a restrictive budget.”Hearing the word ‘budget’, Sonia is reminded of her communist friends. “But well,” she says, “Ill agree with you Abuzer. How can I not, considering the number of people who showed up and praised the play. The number! It counts. It’s a democracy after all…”
Sonia Qadir is a Law Major at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Abuzer Masud works at a paper supply company and retains an engagement in socio-politics.
It exceeded my expectations in some ways, eventually it fell short of really analyzing, and proposing solutions to the core issues. It talked of Inquilab, but concluded that the only Inquilab possible, at least for now, was to become punctual and honest.
Should we behave like the proverbial monkeys with hands covering our eyes, ears and mouth and rationalize the society we live in with the excuse TIP (This is Pakistan). Or can we finally realize that we as human beings have the right to raise questions.