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    Theatre Review: 'Bananistan' by KopyKats Productions

    Theatre Bananistan Review

    Written by: Mirza Salam Ahmed
    Posted on: November 18, 2016 | | 中文

    (L-R) Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan

    Sometime in the near future, in a land not so far away, there exists a country named Bananistan, uncannily similar to our own nation, Pakistan.

    The KopyKats Productions have an impressive list of successes under their belt, with the likes of Siachen, Pawnay 14 August and Sawa 14 August among their recent creations. Their hot streak of producing crowd favourites continued with the launch of Bananistan, which depicts a dystopian society rife with political and communal problems. Following the KopyKats team’s tour of the country, Islamabad folk were eagerly anticipating the play, so when the stage was lit at the National Library on November 16, people were left standing on every edge and hanging from every ledge the auditorium could accommodate.

    The play features comic dead-ringers from Pakistan’s political stage, who have nothing left to do in their lives but fight for the chance to star in theatrical shows. Bananistan is a play-in-a-play called Mere Sultan Ka Fatima Gul Se Ishq-e-Mamnoon. As the name suggests, this is indeed a love story, but one filled with relatable national and political jokes that will make you laugh out loud.

    Theatre Bananistan Review
     

    The clichéd love story starts off giving vibes of a knock-off, but one couldn’t be more wrong. It soon grasps its status of being “highly recommended” when the actors break barriers through constant interaction with the audience without losing the spark of their on-stage performance.

    At the two-hour mark, the play did start to drag on, but perhaps the writers and directors didn’t want to omit those extra bits of laughs we had during extended scenes. Credit must be given where it is due, and in this case the cast more than deservers it. The audience stood up and gave thunderous applause to the brilliant acting from the entire cast, who delivered one punch line after another with increasing flair and power.

    KopyKats’ leader Dawar Mehmood plays Imran Khan, Shafqat Khan plays Qaim Ali Shah and Talha Malik plays Nawaz Sharif; and does so brilliantly. However, what really stole the show was the brilliant impersonation of Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman by Mustafa Chaudhry. From the traditional yellow pagri to knicker-length shalwar and pink Nike joggers, Mustafa left no stone unturned in creatively exploring his character. Critics might cry over mimicry being a lowly form of entertainment, but after watching Mustafa perform they would surely eat their words.

    Theatre Bananistan Review

    Mustafa Chaudhry's brilliant impersonation of Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman

    Producer Mohsin Ejaz plays Altaf Hussain and Hammad Siddiq plays Asif Ali Zardari; and they do so in a manner that puts Geoffrey Baratheon to shame by acquiring more loveable hate then they ever could. Tulin Khalid Azim, who donned the director’s hat, did a fantastic job in every aspect. The play was written by Mustafa, who did a marvellous job in cracking one joke after another without compromising the flow of the play.

    The play eventually loses track of what is going on, but for those who didn’t understand it – that was meant to happen. This was not an Umar Sharif knock-off! It was better! It lacked a moral towards the end, because the moral was right in the middle of the play. The entire point was to give good kicks and laughter from the political drama (off the stage of the National Library) that has been in the spotlight for the best of half of the last decade – and that is exactly why it was so good, because it was relatable.

    There was this one special interval in the play where all political leaders fight for a place on the couch. However, the scene where they sing along to Mumkin Hai, Mumkin Hai dawned over it, sending chills down our spines; seeing all of our political leaders co-exist and work together for the bigger picture, the betterment of our nation. Ha Ha, but that did not last long…by the end of the play reality had returned to the stage. Well, even if you can’t derive a positive ending from play, it is still guaranteed to make you “roll on the floor” whilst “laughing your face off”.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021