A review on Pakistani Comic theatre play, ‘Biwi Ho Tou Apni’ (2019). This was the fourth play performed at NAPA’s 2nd Laughter Theatre Festival 2019.
+ Crew
- Written (Adapted) & Directed by Aisha Hasan
- Lighting by Masood-ur-Rehman
- Assistant Directed by Shahrukh
- Sound Design by Ashraf Bhatti
+ Note
Biwi Ho Tou Apni is a delightful domestic farce play, originally written by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi. Kamal sb was a renowned Pakistani television actor and a playwright, who expired in late December 2015 due to heart attack.
National Academy of Performing Arts remains committed to innovation and excellence in the performing arts and presenting the best performances to the citizens of Karachi.
+ Full Cast:
1) Farhan Alam as Saleem
2) Hassan Raza as Manzoor
3) Saad Zameer as Farooq
4) Umer Iqbal as Shakoor
5) Samhan Ghazi as Mr. Qudoos
6) Chand Bawani as Amina
7) Hina Rizvi as Mrs. Qudoos
+ Plot
Saleem decides to give up on his affairs and embark on married life with young Amina, but things start getting a little bonkers when her parents decide to move in.
+ High Points
i – A hilarious performance by Farhan Alam as Saleem, a former playboy with many secret affairs with married females including two belonging to his close friends. Farhan is one of the best actors to play lead role in comical plays.
ii – Ever since being a part of Khalid sb’s play ‘Jasoosi Dunya’ in lead role, Hassan Raza’s performances have significantly improved. In this play, he has portrayed as Manzoor, who is a close friend to Saleem and similar to Farooq, he is absolutely unaware of his friend, Saleem’s secret affair with his wife. Other Honorable Mentions: Saad Zameer and Umer Iqbal.
iii – Similar to her husband, Aisha’s direction has a taste for theatrical excitement and fun in her play.
iv – The screenplay is written well and it is properly constructed into three acts.
v – The costumes were suitable as per characters’ personality.
+ Low Points
i – Its been a very long time indeed that I have watched Chand Bawani’s performance. Its possible that after such a time gap, her acting ability may have been deteriorated or perhaps her character was not suitable for her.
ii – Since Hina Rizvi is a well-established TV artist, thus playing a limited role of a mother-in-law was not a wise option. Still, she did her best to make the character interesting.
iii – The ‘Self-Talking’ dialogues could do better job by effective collaboration with the usage of lighting.
iv – I believe, 10 minutes of the play can be cut short.
+ Overall
Biwi Ho Tou Apni is a sparkling entertainment with light comedy and heartwarming performances.
Rate: 3.25 out of 5 stars
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