Here's Why You Should Book a Ticket to Karachi - Hassan Raza's Play 'Bandhan' Sheds Light on Pakistan's Gun Culture

Bandhan, a venture by National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), is a play inspired by a 1932 Spanish tragedy titled Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca. Directed by Hassan Raza, Bandhan will be projecting the idea of arms and ammunition and their harms in our society.

Background of the inspirational plot:

Lorca wrote Blood Wedding based on true events. It was about a man who was killed while trying to run away with the bride on her wedding day. Director Hassan Raza says, “It’s not exactly an adaptation but we took inspiration from his method and the play and found similar local cases to base our play around. The main theme in the original play was honour killing while our play is more anti-arms and ammunition.”

Hassan has added local elements to the plot as per the likes of Karachi audience. “It’s completely suited to the taste of local audiences and sown according to their familiarity. The original play was quite surrealistic and there were some phenomena which took the guise of humans and spoke. We couldn’t do that due to our limitations, so we had to redesign and rebuild a new structure from the premise.”

The Cast:

The cast includes Hajra Yamin, Asad Gujjar, Hassan Khan, Shabana Hasan, Zain ul Abideen, Sehrish, Naila Nawab, Samhan Ghazi, Roohi Ahmed, Ayesha Hasan, Asma Noor, Sofia Bhalaisha and a total of 40 people. NAPA’s resident musician Nigel Bobby has composed five tracks for the play.

Bandhan has a contemporary style, with regards to sets, and the directorial approach: “Nevertheless, what makes it interesting is that those who are known as actors will be singing, and singers will be acting. It will be the first collaboration of its kind between the music and theatre departments of Napa,” said Hassan Raza.

Why you should watch it:

Raza said, “It will be a surprise for everyone. Either you’ll like it or not, but we’ve worked hard, and we would like people to come watch it and judge whether they had a good time or not.”

Where to go and when:

22nd Feb to 4th March
8 PM
Zia Mohyeddin Theater

Tickets are available at the numbers given in the poster above.