Zohra ki Gali at the Arts Council
KARACHI: The second main stage production by Natakwalay, “Zohra Ki Gali,” an adaptation of Ghulam Abbas’s famous short story “Aanandi” was staged at the Arts Council Wednesday.
Directed by Anjum Ayaz, the play stars Nyla Jaffery as Zohra, a courtesan, who runs a bordello. The play focuses on the theme of sexual abuse, which is considered the root of all evil. Zohra falls in love at a very early age. When things don’t go her way she ends up in tatters.
For some, particularly the local shopkeepers, her presence is needed as their business flourishes because of her establishment. However, Sheikh Ahmed Ali, a conservative, played by Kaleem Kazmi, is vocal in his hatred for the courtesan. What Sheikh does not know is that his own daughter, Akbari, played by Sana, plans to desert him and runaway with mechanic ‘Chota’.
Zohra notices Akbari and Chota mingling, something which reminds her of her own past. She plans a meeting with Akbari in order to persuade her not to follow in her footsteps.
Akbari’s visit to Zohra’s house is not well received by the neighbors, and on Shaikh’s orders Zohra is expelled from the neighborhood. However, the beaming Shaikh cannot foresee the future that his own daughter is about to runaway with Chota and leave him.
Natakwalay say they are a team of professionals who value and practice the most collaborative art forms art that explore the human condition, stimulate and engage their audience, and connect to a global, diverse community.
Source: Daily Times
Date:3/20/2008
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