Pak actors return upbeat after India visit

A group of Pakistani actors received a brilliant response from India.

Karachi: A group of actors based here has returned from India where they received a "brilliant response" from the people during their performance.The team of National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) graduates returned to this financial capital of Pakistan last week from Amritsar, India, after a successful show at the South Asia Foundation Festival for Peace-2009, The News reported Friday.

They had performed an experimental play, "Jaaney Pehchaney Ajnabi", under the direction of Zain Ahmed. "We received a brilliant response and the crowd was overwhelmed by such an experimental theatrical performance by a troupe from Pakistan," Zeeshan Haider, a member of the cast, told The News. He added that the unique thing about the performance was that there were no inanimate props as the performers were themselves converting into chairs and other required props. Led by NAPA faculty member Zain Ahmed, the other group members include Ali Rizvi, Paras Masroor, Aiman Tariq, Kashif Farhad, Farhan Saqib Khan, Maria Rabab and Mohsin Ali. Members of the group said that this was the first time that NAPA students received international exposure and they added that they "learnt a lot" from actors "from the other side of the border". The South Asia Foundation Festival for Peace was a 15-day festival which included troupes from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. NAPA and Ajoka were the two Pakistan-based theatre groups invited to perform in the festival. Individual Pakistan-based performers who were part of the festival include Sheema Kirmani, Sania Saeed, and Tina Sani. IANS