KARACHI: The Portrait of Rumi is an ambitious effort by Dadadali Productions, in collaboration with National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), to add a new spin to the existing theatre scene in Pakistan. It is co-directed by Rouvan Mahmud and Ali Junejo who are also acting in the play. The experimental nature of the production might make it a little inaccessible — one may understand the play in fragments as opposed to a coherent whole but, essentially, it is a decent shot at something innovative. The fact that the cast has thrown so much into their roles might salvage what majority may perceive as an ‘incomprehensible’ plot.
The play begins with Rumi (Junejo), an artist, whose basic dilemma is that he is discontent in life. He vandalises his apartment, crashes on a couch — and leaves no questions in the audience’s mind about his troubled state. Enter his friends: Sal, Tasha, Sherri and Mikael — all of whom are trying to inquire about his distressed state of mind with the undertone being a girl. Rumi, however, is unable to answer their questions. Subsequently, they all start thumping and pounding him, hoping to extract answers. From here onwards, the plays takes on the stories of Rumi’s friends, running parallel with his own predicament. Where one friend is struggling with a matrimonial crisis; another is on the brink of death — in a nutshell, every character is undergoing some dilemma which they are unable to overcome.
The question is: how do the stories of Rumi’s friends help in coming to terms with his own problems? As Mahmud, one of the directors of the play, says: “Rumi is discontent. His friends are too, though they are not aware of it. Essentially our main is idea is that — man will not truly be happy, unless he is happy with himself — and we connect it with the famous psychologist Carl Jung's idea of the shadow self i.e. true happiness can only come from within, disregarding external factors such as money, vocation, friends, relationships, etc. Each character is trying to find happiness/contentment in one form of another, but Rumi is the only one who is "successful". The other characters, whether oblivious to their "shadow" or just scared of it, don't find the same inner contentment.”
However, Mahmud’s response does not quite nullify the fact that the play is too absurd and ambiguous for its relevance to shine through. Did it really have to be so fragmented and bizarre to prove Jung’s ideas of the shadow self? That said, it would be again unsporting to begrudge the director his rationale behind the play when the production is so novel in its ideas and performances that you do, admittedly, have a good time.
All the actors have pitched in excellent performances, particularly the dying man (Faris Khalid) and Sarah Haider (female patient). Even the scene featuring a confrontation between Sherri (Joshinder Chaggar) and her father (Sohail Malik) is memorable; and with its humorous dialogues dilutes the otherwise tense nature of the play. Moreover, the singer, Tara Mahmood, is another welcome breather from the dark performances as she renders melodious tracks by Sting, Nina Simone and Sheryl Crow among others.
All in all, The Portrait of Rumi should be watched — for its provocative, edgy performances and uncanny ideas which engages the audience and challenges them at the same time. It is running at the NAPA auditorium till June 30.
