Taming of the Shrew - Ilaaj-e-Zid Dastayaab Hai

The Play titled ‘Taming of the Shrew’ or Ilaaj-e-Zid Dastayaab Hai directed by Suzana Wilson, Naveed Shahzad and Haisam Hussain, was staged at Alhamra in the beginning of May 2012. This play is to be performed as a part of the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and then move north to Bradford.

Ilaaj-e-zid Dastayab is a remarkable revision of Shakespeare’s play. The original Shakespeare script of this play is considered to be one the plays that shows hatred and mistrust towards women. However the play was localized to suit the interests of the audience and show the women in a new light.

 This play showed that neither men nor women need to bow down in front of each other.  It showed that it’s wrong to think that the husband is always right. Rustam Khan(Umair Rana) decides to marry Kiran( Nadia Jameel) a persistent independent girl if he is given money for it but when woman does the same, she is looked down upon.

The play showed that in society, women are expected to conform to certain values and morals taught to her in the family and then to the society. She is shown jealous towards Beena, her sister who is decent and opposite of what Kiran is. I believe it was more frustration that Kiran had in her  when she realized that she might never find a husband.

Nadia Jamil ( Kiran/shrew) was unable to perform as she was sick and thus her role was performed by Maria Khan. She had an amazing stage presence and her body language did wonders to her scenes.  She was successful in showing a strong willed woman where her character transformed from a shrew to someone who conforms to the society roles. Bravo Maria Khan!

In order to make Kiran more obedient to her husband, Rustam khan tries to mould her psychologically, by giving her no food, clothes and making her live in a lonely place. The treatment Rustam khan does with Kiran highlights the point that a woman has no choice but to obey to the rules and regulations of her husband or the society. Why do the women have to change themselves for their husbands? Why Can’t men change for them too? The role of a wife in the society is questioned and the sacrifices she has to make to survive in a male dominated society.

 Umair Rana is a not a new name in the theatre industry, his acting was exceptional and it was a pleasure to watch him act. He performed with full enthusiasm and gave a strong competition to all his fellow actors.

Kireen speech at the end made a lot of men in the audience happy. I saw many standing ovations and then I heard some women going, “ why would they show women like that”. The audience realized that at the end after compliance to her husband Kiran true spirit remains.  It’s the role that has changed from an unmarried shrew to an obedient wife.

Osman Khalid butt, extremely talented individual  played a rich guy who was charming like he is in his V-logs. But I must ask were the slapsticks and unnecessary jokes necessary in his role? It was a great sight to see bunch of great cast all on the stage but it was true that Nadia Jameel was missed.  Hamza kamal was another great actor whose acting impressed many. He knew he had to maintain the same level of great acting the way others were doing. Which he did !  To add to the mood, rock band Mekaal Hasan Band provided live background music. 

I wasn’t pleased with the set. Thanks to my friend who told me that this play was not made for Pakistani stages but was for the globe where stage is in a circular form.

This dual of sexes attracted a lot of people from different age groups.   The dances before the play and when the play ended really kept the play alive. It was perfectly choreographed. The drum beat did give the play a great Pakistani feel! 

The performance started in front of a packed audience who were contented with the performances of the actors also hoping that they would do great in London Olympiad as well. 

Pakistani government needs to promote theater in Pakistan. They need to sponsor such plays so that the whole world knows what Pakistanis can do. It wont cost the Pakistani government much if they make sure there is no problem in air conditioning of such theatres.  2 hours of No Ac were horrible! A lot of people left because of it but others who remained despite the suffocation in the hall, were happy and contented with the performances. Salman Shahid quotes, “Its high time Pakistan has a national theater company”. 

Finally, All the best to the cast and crew of the Taming of the Shrew for their performances in London Globe. Hope they get the same Reaction like they did in Lahore, Pakistan.

4/5