Pakistani troupe staged Dushman

A scene from the play Dushman

Dushman, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's popular play, An Enemy of the People, was staged by Pakistani troupe Ajoka Theatre at the National Theatre Stage on May 15 as part of the ongoing theatre festival titled 'Staging Ibsen in Asia'.

Shaheed Nadim's adaptation is set against the backdrop of an imaginary rural area named Shahbadnagar, where the water supply is contaminated by nuclear waste. As Dr Hadi and his family protest against the pollution, they are labelled as enemies of the people by politician. Another important aspect of the play is misuse of religion for political interests.

There is room for development of Madeeha Gawhar's directorial compositions. The actions are not adequately incorporated, that is why conflicts are not properly created. When one actor is acting the rest of the artistes remain motionless. And as there is no smooth transition between the scenes, her directorial compositions appear fragmented.

Malik Aslam's set and light designs are simple. A few stools on the empty stage have been used as the set. In most of the scenes, general light is used.

All of the artistes in the play have emphasised only on voice modulation rather than actions and body language. The voice modulation of Asim Bukhari and Malik Ahsan were impressive.