Legendary playwright Anwar Maqsood’s much-anticipated theatre play Saadhay 14 August premiered in Karachi at the Arts Council of Pakistan earlier this week in commemoration of Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day.
The premiere was a star-studded affair where we spotted the cast and crew of Saadhay 14 August as well as celebrities such as actors Behroze Sabzwari, Sajid Hasan, Sarwat Gilani, Adnan Siddiqui, Gohar Rasheed, and actor/model Rizwaan Ali Jaffri, among others.
The play, Saadhay 14 August, helmed by Dawar Mehmood and produced under the banner of KopyKats Productions, is the final instalment in the theatrical trilogy about partition of India and creation of Pakistan.
It was almost a decade ago when Anwar Maqsood and Dawar Mehmood enthralled audiences with Pawnay 14 August, which was a huge success. After three years, the second instalment, Sawa 14 August, came out and received both critical and commercial acclaim. And now the final chapter in the series has now premiered in Karachi.
The plot of Saadhay 14 August is based on the concept that “those who were left behind are in misery. Those who were uprooted are in misery,” which has been dramatically depicted by none other than Anwar Maqsood. The play is a social commentary that not only highlights our homeland’s ongoing political issues but also captures past events through humour and satire.
According to Anwar Maqsood, Saadhay 14 August is about the partition of India and creation of Pakistan and whether it was the right thing to do or not. As for what the play has in store for viewers, the legendary playwright said that it would leave the audience thinking if the partition was better for Muslims or not and what would have happened if they had lived in India.
As far as the story is concerned, it revolves around two main characters – Quaid-e-Azam Muha-mmad Ali Jinnah and India’s founding father Mahatma Gandhi. Theatre veteran Omar Kazi, who has been in the business for over two decades, essays the role of Quaid-e-Azam while Tanveer Gill plays the character of Gandhi. During the course of the play, both the founders visit Kashmir, Lahore, Delhi, and London and meet different people to get to know their views regarding the division of the subcontinent.
Besides Omar and Tanveer, the play features talented actors, including Nazar Hussain, Salva Suhayl, Asad Gojar, Syed Osama, Jaza Aqil, and many others, who manage to keep the viewers intrigued throughout. Saadhay 14 August is definitely a must-watch.
It will run till November 2022 at the Arts Council of Pakistan.
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