Hassan Abdulrazzak's debut play, which opened in London in 2007, merges the altogether familiar saga of Iraq with the personal drama of three Iraqi friends in the UK and of their return to their home country in a post Saddam era. The main events of the play while unfolding against the political backdrop of contemporary Iraq under US occupation, marred by bombings, air strikes, terror outfits and growing disillusionment, are brought to head by a wedding, which starts out as a typical joyous and even boisterous affair. The groom in question is Salim (Karan Pandit), a doctor and a controversial novelist with sensational views about Islam and sexuality. He is posh and stylish, unapologetic about the pleasures to be had, andhas specially returned to Iraq for his wedding. Salim is the pivotal force in the drama and the destinies of his friends, Marwan (Faisal Rashid) and Luma (Nimrat Kaur) come to be linked with his.
This is ultimately a love triangle, and the Iraqi situation which finally chastens Salim is too obvious. There is nothing novel there and it is almost as if the politically charged background is just a useful ploy expanding into the lives of these young people, who are negotiating their expatriate experience with that of their native country, especially with a country such as Iraq. The play lets us appreciate (to some extent) the cultural coordinates, which are unique to any country but which are submerged under the pressures of the overriding politics and the popular media imagery it spawns. There is even some truth in Salim's seemingly outrageous way of life and of his views on homosexuality and Muslims in the Arab world. Lubna's return to her home country and her experience thereafter are not without emotional resonance. The wedding too turns out to be a well-employed dramatic device with a beginning that precipitates the events in the play and an end that sums up the separate yet interconnected journeys that Salim, Lubna and Marwan have been through. Yet the personal drama of these friends beyond the novelty that they are Iraqis plays with the obvious tropes and is a little too facile.
Akvarious' production of the play, directed by Akarsh Khurana plays out the inherent strengths and the weaknesses of the script. The NCPA-AGP Centrestage festival show however was not fully there in terms of performance. Karan Pandit, who cut out a most suitable dandy as Salim in his initial act, appeared out of place when his moment of truth came during his interred days with Iraqi insurgents first and then later with the US troops. Nimrat Kaur, whose performances normally stand out, seemed on shaky and uncertain ground, her voice unclear and not properly heard in her first appearance at Salim's party in London. She gained ground in the second half though, her bohemian spirit now contained but not battered by her situation in Iraq.
Faisal Rashid's Marwan on the other hand provides the right contrast to Salim's character, as the writer has planned him to be. But his speech at times appears deliberate, as if it were more important to just get the words right, and this at times, took away the deeper emotional contexts. But of the three actors, Rashid's performance was by far the better. He came across as the simple, straight-forward guy, a well-meaning and sincere friend, an active observer (narrator) and participant in the drama that comes to be part of his life, but finally an onlooker to the events as they turn out to be. The supporting cast of characters which includes Adhir Bhatt, Hussain Dalal and Sarang Sathaye do reasonably fine; their accent in English spurred by their local, Baghdadi context.
The stage draped in white sheets with loose pieces of furniture, and posters pinned to one side, gives a rudimentary, makeshift appearance, as if to mark a place where nothing is quite as it is. Or to say that nothing is as it used to be. The set design also allows for multiple settings that are part of the play. There is nothing particularly remarkable about the lights. The music has the desired Arabic section.
In seeking to depict the relationship between three Iraqi friends, Hassan Abdulrazzak reminds us that these young Iraqis too can be as regular as any of their other peers around the world. He is of course quick to point out that the circumstances of these young Iraqis after all are not so regular. But here also lies the missed opportunity of a more intensely layered experience.On the other hand, a team with stronger production values and better performances may just outweigh the lesser aspects of the script.
Hassan Abdulrazzak's debut play, which opened in London in 2007, merges the altogether familiar saga of Iraq with the personal drama of three Iraqi friends in the UK and of their return to their home country in a post Saddam era. The main events of the play while unfolding against the political backdrop of contemporary Iraq under US occupation, marred by bombings, air strikes, terror outfits and growing disillusionment, are brought to head by a wedding, which starts out as a typical joyous and even boisterous affair. The groom in question is Salim (Karan Pandit), a doctor and a controversial novelist with sensational views about Islam and sexuality. He is posh and stylish, unapologetic about the pleasures to be had, andhas specially returned to Iraq for his wedding. Salim is the pivotal force in the drama and the destinies of his friends, Marwan (Faisal Rashid) and Luma (Nimrat Kaur) come to be linked with his.
