A review on Pakistani Drama theatre play, Ga’on Mae Roshni (2017). It was performed at NAPA’s International Theatre Festival 2017.
+ Crew
- Directed by Sheema Kirmani & Anwer Jafri
- Written by Anwer Jafri (Adapted)
+ Note
Ga’on Mae Roshni is a Lahore theatre group play. Its original script is in English by Jo Clifford.
+ Full Cast
- Sheema Kirmani as Narrator / Kali / Old Woman
- Sumaira Shahzad as Narrator and Sita
- Haris Khan as Bantu / Husband of Sita
- Imran Khan as Narrator / Old Landlord / Lawyer
- Waheed Ali as Younger Brother of Old Landlord
+ Plot
In the beginning goddess Kali, Personifying Mother Nature explains how the environment of this planet sustains life but it does not tolerate excesses committed against it.
+ High Points
i – Creative ways to show the sexual assault with dark blue lights and hard light flash from low angle of the assaulter. Also the way the play showed the lone man running and struggling to find work in the city.
ii – The message regarding how much struggle and hardships are sacrificed by the villagers in able ‘to live their dreams for a good peaceful life’ was presented nicely. Including the real reason behind how the arrival of the electricity to their village is well portrayed.
iii – The performances by everyone were reasonable.
+ Low Points
i – Since almost every actor played multiple roles, then it would have been better for the audience ease that the characters change should be in another costume or carry character related props to differentiate.
ii – Although a fair, just ending is showed but also a predictable one. Also, that it was explicit to how they presented it.
iii – The play time length should be reduced by 30 – 40 minutes.
iv – When the sexual assault take place by the two men but then the telling it loudly that what just happened was ‘Rape’! It is funny really that you had to announce it to the audience as everyone understood the scene clearly. Suppose we are watching at wedding night scene in a film, there husband sits closely to his newly wedded wife while saying some romantic dialogues to her and the room’s lights switched off. Then we hear the narrator’s voice who says that they had ‘Sex’ last night.
See? It’s pointless. Why does the narrator has to tell that when it is obvious that what must have happened… unless something else have occurred then yes, do tell that in the narration? Otherwise it is strictly no.
Don’t put everything on the plate for the audience to consume. Let them understand some things on their own.
v – Not once but twice I noticed that for couple of seconds the performers forgot their next lines.
vi – Some of the scenes were too dramatic.
vii – The visuals of villagers’ suffering could be showed when there no scene sharing but just the narrator voice over it. You see that when an actor is performing, his body movement, gesture and speech should be the main criteria that the audience should be focusing on rather than the visuals shown in the background. If we have a strong performer, his speech should be so convincing that the imagination that is being portrayed in the people minds would be more than enough to share the pain and sympathy that the poor people must be suffering in such times.
+ Overall
Despite a few good moments, Ga’on Mae Roshni never really grabs the viewers in linking the emotive touch.
Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars
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