Bano captivates NUST
An adaptation of Razia Butt’s classic novel makes a sentimental visit to Independence years.
Islamabad: NUST Dramatics Club organized a play, “Dastaan– A Tale of Pakistan’s Ideology”, at the Jinnah Auditorium in NUST on Thursday. Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Dr. Ashfaq Hassan Khan was also a part of the audience.
The play was inspired by Razia Butt’s critically acclaimed novel Bano. The same novel inspired a 2010 Hum TV show, also called Dastaan. In addition to winning praises and awards in Pakistan, the show went on to be aired in India and the Middle East.
Director Ifrah Allaudin used minimal space to create the story. The play was based in Ludhiana, Punjab of an undivided Hindustan. The ambience of the stage and the pronunciation of Urdu effectively took the audience 70 years back.
As the hall went dark, the stage came to life. The initial scenes were dedicated to the development of characters and their relationships. The audience shared a few laughs over Hassan and Bano’s romance.
The play reached its peak as Bano’s home was attacked. The hall was paralyzed with her shrieks as she was dragged away. Her performance ended with an eerie red ambience as she celebrated purifying her nation from ‘the devils’, a symbolic homage to independence.
Faisal Ali, the lead actor and writer, commented on the play’s importance. “I am a student, and I’ve met students who are unsure of Pakistan’s creation,” he said. He also said that it was difficult to condense a novel into a play. “But with my experience, I knew which scenes to keep.”
The central character Bano was played by Kissa Zahra. “I think I felt her pain,” she said. “In order to make myself cry, I built upon the awful things I’ve been through in my past.”
However, the audience left with mixed views. Ayesha Sami Khan, who attended the play thought the stage and time could’ve been utilized in a better way. But she admitted that the play had its share of highs. “The acting was amazing,” she said.
The event ended on a positive note of taking one’s country as a blessing and working toward its success.
