- GhanChakkar, a farce directed by Farhan Rahim and written by Babar Jamal, was staged at the Karachi Arts Council on Sunday evening.
- A review found the script weak and reliant on crude humour, while the young cast was praised for its energy.
- The set resembled those of earlier productions, and costumes were inconsistent.
- The review also criticised repeated ticket checks at the hall entrance.
A new comedy at the Karachi Arts Council has been criticised in a review as unsuitable family entertainment. GhanChakkar, staged on Sunday evening, was described as a farce that leaned too heavily on crude and risqué humour.
The play followed The Odd Couple at the historic venue. The reviewer said it fitted a pattern in which farce has become the main genre on offer in the city's theatre scene.
A bag, a bus and Rs 400 million
The story centres on an accountant from a low-income background who works nine to five and travels between home and office by public bus. One evening he takes the wrong bag by mistake. When he opens it later, he finds Rs 400 million inside.
The windfall sets off a chain of mix-ups involving his obedient wife and their visiting in-laws. A taxi driver and two police detectives are then drawn in, and the plot piles on identity swaps, outrageous lies and chaos.
Young cast, no big names
The production was directed by Farhan Rahim and written by Babar Jamal. It featured an entirely young cast without any established stars. The review called this one of its more encouraging features.
Holding a live audience for more than an hour is no easy task for recent graduates. The reviewer said the actors delivered an energetic and spontaneous performance. Direction, timing and stage lighting were also credited as effective.
Script and staging under fire
The script drew the sharpest criticism. The review said it relied on lewd humour and predictable lines that produced laughter only occasionally, and often by accident. It also objected to repeated sexual themes and jokes about gender identity, which it said replaced wit and comic craft.
One character kept returning to the Urdu refrain 'Chee, Chee, Chee', an expression of disapproval. The reviewer suggested this phrase described the play itself. The final scene, in which the villain Mogambo is arrested after another character bites him, drew laughter from younger viewers but left adults unconvinced.
On the technical side, the set was almost identical to those used in The Odd Couple and Only English. Some costumes were inconsistent, and the two policemen appeared in different uniforms during the play.
Entry checks and the wider debate
The review also criticised the admission process at the Arts Council. Visitors had their wrists stamped and were then checked again at the hall entrance. It urged organisers to find a more graceful way of verifying tickets.
More broadly, the reviewer argued that Karachi has plenty of eccentric characters, social contradictions and everyday absurdities to draw on for comedy. It said institutions like the Arts Council need to draw a clear line between comedy and farce. It also noted that Only English, staged a week earlier, went so far as to sing the F-word aloud.
Questions and answers
What is GhanChakkar about?
It is a farce about an accountant who mistakenly takes the wrong bag on a public bus and finds Rs 400 million inside. The money leads to mix-ups involving his family, a taxi driver and two police detectives.
Who made the play?
Farhan Rahim directed it and Babar Jamal wrote it. The cast was entirely young and included no big names.
What criticism did the production receive?
The review called the script weak and said it relied on crude humour. It also noted a set similar to earlier productions, inconsistent costumes and repeated ticket checks at the entrance. The cast's energy and the stage lighting were praised.
