Written by: Subboh Jaffery
Posted on: October 08, 2018 | 
| 中文
Saman Ansari as Salma and Hassan Raza as Adam
Khalid Ahmed, along with his highly talented actors and a super skilled backstage team, put up a theatrical masterpiece at NAPA’s Zia Mohyeddin Auditorium last Friday. The two-hour long, ‘Jasoosi Duniya’ (Investigative World), is an adaptation of Sam Bobrick’s Edgar Award winning play, ‘The Psychic.’ Adapted and directed by Khalid Ahmed, the play is a comedic murder mystery, with a pinch of romance. Honestly, I expected this play to be just like any other NAPA in-house play, but I was left pleasantly surprised. From the script, to the direction, to the acting, to the sound effects and set, everything about the play was terrific. The cast, starring Hassan Raza and Saman Ansari, along with Nazar Ul Hasan, Farhan Alam, Bazelah Mustafa and Muhammad Samhan Ghazi, truly outdid themselves and I have nothing but good things to say about them.
The play revolves around a mystery novelist, Adam, played by Hassan Raza, who is struggling to make ends meet. Frustrated by the lack of inspiration for writing, he decides to start a scam and pretends to be a psychic to make some money. He puts up a board outside his window, and soon attracts his first client; a rich and flamboyant lady, Salma, played by the famous actress Saman Ansari. Salma comes to Adam for help with her struggling marriage, and then begin a series of unexpected events that kept me at the edge of my seat. The story follows several murders and a rising romantic tension between Adam and Salma, to a mind-boggling end that will leave you astonished. The dialogues in the play were beautifully written, at all times falling in line with the character’s personality, and what the situation called for.
One of the things I truly liked about the play was the set, which depicted Adam’s small and poorly maintained apartment. Run-down and messy, with dirty walls covered with cobwebs, and broken and old furniture, the attention to detail was truly commendable. On one corner, you could see a bookshelf constructed out of bricks and wooden planks, with books messily arranged inside. The window opened up to a recognizable and busy street in Saddar, with old fashioned buildings, indicating that Adam resided in the city center. The set helped me understand Adam’s personality and his mindset, since it served as a reflection of how an artist thinks and feels.
Moving on to the cast, Hassan Raza is an absolutely superb stage actor. Among the many reasons why I gave the play a standing ovation was Hassan’s performance. He’s not a big name in the acting scene, but he is more talented than most renowned actors in the industry. Under the instruction of director Khalid Ahmed and assistant director, Shahjahan Narejo, Hassan has clearly flourished and went on to run the entire show effortlessly and tremendously. And of course, sharing the stage with the celebrated Saman Ansari definitely brought out the best in him. Saman has, over the years, made it big on television before she decided to give theatre a shot with Jasoosi Duniya. She has starred in and received critical acclaim for serials like Karb, Sammi and Khaani, amongst many others. Bazelah Mustafa, a UK-based Pakistani writer and director, portrayed Sabeena in the play and put up a decent performance. Nazar Ul Hasan, Farhan Alam and Muhammad Samhan Ghazi did justice to their roles with their brilliant acting.
All in all, I really enjoyed the play and the atmosphere. Theatre lovers and art aficionados from all over the city had gathered to form a very disciplined and respectful audience. Though the auditorium wasn’t jam-packed, the relatively large number of attendees laughed and clapped carefully, to make sure the performers wouldn’t be disturbed. I felt flattered to be a part of such a sophisticated audience.
NAPA puts up brilliant plays every now and then, but sadly they go unappreciated and unnoticed. I’m glad I caught the second show of Jasoosi Duniya. The show is running till the 13th of October, and I strongly urge all of you to go and check it out!
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