Banned Pak play staged in Delhi

Burqavaganza, a play banned in Pakistan, was staged at the ongoing annual theatre festival here.

New Delhi, Jan 13 : 'Burqavaganza', a play banned in Pakistan, was staged at the ongoing annual theatre festival here.

The satirical play portrayed 'burqa', the all-covering head-to-toe garment worn by conservative Muslim women, as a symbol of the sufferings faced by women in the society.

Play Director Shahid Nadeem said that he did not care for the ban imposed on the play and would continue to stage it wherever he can find people, who can appreciate it.

"It is a take on our obsession with covering women's face and also covering true intentions and covering vested interests with religious or political protestations. My play aims to poke fun at the same. In 'Burqavaganza', we have used 'burqa' as a metaphor to comment on our society," said Nadeem.

In the play, young men and women wore the 'burqa' to go out on secret dates, and it featured a character called 'Burqa bin Badin'.

The play also featured police officials, who found it difficult to identify criminals as all the suspects were wearing veils.

Locals in Delhi thronged the auditorium and were visibly excited. The play was also criticised by a few viewers.

"Some of the performers have tried to ridicule the customs and traditions. The pointless traditions have no point to be there, but then there is a way to express your protest against them. Towards the end of play it sounds to be a ridicule," said Kuljeet Singh, a theatre artist.

Kunal, a viewer, appreciated the efforts to highlight a social cause, but felt that the comedy was in bad taste.

"The play criticises the 'burqa' culture. It is a comedy. But here, the comedy is being celebrated. This is wrong. The words used come across as cheap many a times. The comedy ends up being in bad taste," said Kunal, a viewer.

Irate lawmakers in Pakistan had persuaded the government to stop the theatre group from staging it.

ANI