KDS Annual Play 2015 - Official Event Review

AYESHA SAEED MALIK
MBBS 1ST YEAR
 with special gratitude to: NIDA RAUF 

12th May 2015, the KDS ANNUAL DRAMA was finally aired. I had heard a lot about the tiresome rehearsals going on for almost two months, from the kds members. But then I also heard not to expect much, to keep my hopes within the leash because when hopes crash and money burns it hurts...a lot! Who knew, I'd be swept off my feet? Awe-struck by the sheer talent of KDS actors? But then who can blame me, for the widely accepted notion is that King Edward Medical University is the 'HOME OF NERDS'. But after the KDS annual drama I was forced to rephrase the term as ' THE HOME OF THE TALENTED'
So, 12th may 2015 it was, one fine day, indeed. Classes had been off after 10, what could be better news than that? so I rushed to the old auditorium to get good seats, delighted by the fact that the chillers were up and running
.
The show commenced with the esteemed VC professor Dr. Faisal Masood invited on the stage to shed his expert views on the brilliant work of KDS followed by words of encouragement by the staff president Dr. Atif Hussain Kazmi.

 Finally, came the time that had everyone anxiously fidgeting in their seats. The short play: -QALB-E-BISMIL. Written and directed by Hammad Shafi.
The SUMMARY goes something like this; 

Its a story of a successful drama writer who has for years succeeded in hiding his ugly past from the world. However, the memories of his lurid past come back to haunt him, to guilt him into confessing his crime. The story proceeds as the writer is met with an avatar of his conscience, as hideous and dark as his soul. The sight of the avatar forces him to go back in time and confront his demons. It is soon revealed that the writer killed his best friend and his producer to quench the thirst of his greed for power, fame and money. In order to keep the world from knowing his reality, he tries to silence his own conscience by strangling it to death. During this whole debacle a story, which he has long been fetching for, revels itself. Desperate to jot it down before it fades away, he stabs himself to use his own blood as ink.

The crowd went crazy with the sheer intensity of the play. 

Blogger's Review: Deeply-moving, a gruesome glimpse into the ghettos human mind, wonderfully acted upon. Did the script great justice.

Then was the turn of KDS Long Play; SHORT CUT. A beautifully constructed collage of comedy and moral lesson. It won fits of laughter from the audience, time and now. The hooting, whistling and clapping were a constant part of the play, boosting the actors morale. 
The PLOT is something like this;

Its a tale of three brothers, more like the three stooges, hilarious but innocent, naive but naughty, desperate to pursue their career as actors but rejected mercilessly, every time. The tenacity of following their dream and proving the world of their worth, leads them to become con-artists, robbing the rich, the poor or whoever dared cross their paths. The play continues to portray the adventures of the three brothers till they land in the hands of a police officer, who'd been on their trail for years. Now, given a chance to take a run for it and leave behind the youngest brother in the clutches of the inspector, the elder two decide against their freedom and reveal their identity to him. They serve prison time and later join the same inspector as consultant criminals. Eventually, they learn that there are no short cuts in life. If you want something badly, be strong enough to hold onto it no matter how big hurdles come your way.

The videos affiliated with the long play deserve a standing ovation. They were splendidly co-ordinated in the play. Everything from the sounds to the lights and the background task force were perfect. A huge round of an applause for the perfect end to a perfect show.

Blogger's Review: Words are paralyzed to do justice to the  undying efforts of KDS team. Simply brilliant!

 How can I ever skip the dance performance given by Syed Ahmad Raza? While Looking at him perform, only one thought occluded my mind; Is there an end to his talent? Because honestly, it is quite patronzing for mediocre people like me to witness such an overt marvel in one man alone.
He was kind enough to share his KDS experiences with us : 'it's always difficult for day scholars like me to rehearse in a drama for two months straight. But Alhumdulillah the efforts were worth it. As far as my talent is concerned I play my part. The rest is team work. People who work backstage deserve far more credit than the ones who perform on the stage. No one is talentless. We just have to find our innate passions and polish them to excellence. As far as who is most  short-tempered...well, everyone get cranky in the last five days of KDS.' 

Let's shed some spotlight on what happened backstage. The real story of a great success as mentioned by the kds team itself:

Iqra Zafar: Having spend the entire time backstage, I feel it's quite a demanding job for the make up team especially, since they have to deal with boys who have zero experience with make-up.

Zainab Sabir: One of the best experiences of my Kemu life. It was boring in the beginning, I wanted it all to end but now that it has, I miss the good old days, tiresome they may have been but they made wonderful memories for me. The seniors were like elder siblings guiding us, bearing with us, treating us all equally and lovingly!

Afifa Nasir: Helping all the actors with costumes and other required things doesn't sound like fun but believe me it was! All the seniors were so co-operative particularly hadia, shafaq and numrah baji. Working backstage we got to hear interesting stories from the seniors and of coarse free food! the best thing! party scene every day. p.s all the members of KDS are looking forward to the hi tea.

Fatima Ahmad: You look at th seniors and wonder how cool can one be? I mean they are toppers of MCAT, position holders of FSC, distinction holders in PROFS  and yet so good at debating and acting! They are truly the glittering gems ok Kemu!

Eesha Gul: The treats every day were the best part! Especially the milkshakes on our ride back to hostel. I got to explore anarkali with the seniors, got guidelines for substages  yahan tak kay unsa baji taught us some of the topics for our upcoming nerve and muscle test. I missed my sunday sleeps but the experience was worthwhile. I am glad i was part of it.

Some of the BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN STORIES I was able to get hold on, from the KDS family:

I met with Syed bhai's mother. She said,'Mera beta to KDS ka hi ho kar reh gia hai. Ghar hi nai ata or agar ata hai to buhat kum.' But it was his late night rehearsals along with the other actors' that the play was a huge success. i mean skipping home food and staying away from family is a huge sacrifice and these guys, they did it.

They are very passionate about their work in KDS. There was an ending line in the play 'aur kuch karnay kay baray mai to hum ne socha hi nai tha' Tallah Tarar bhai was supposed to deliver it but unfortunately, he couldn't do it the way it was supposed to be done. Hammad bhai wanted it to be perfect so they rehearsed the exact same line for 38 minutes! Yet no result. Hence the line was given to Hassan Ali bhai. That's how perfectionist they are.

Almost every day there was a treat from 4-5 members of the KDS family and it was for everyone!

I remember when the rehearsal of scene 1 was going on, there was this dialogue, 'Pata nai kn janwaron ki tarah khata rehta hai?' Just then a senior entered the old auditorium carrying food in his hands. Qudrat bhai said out loud, pointing at him 'YEH!' and everyone bursted into laughter.

The moment an actor stepped off the stage after delivering his act there was a sudden commotion backstage because within a few minutes we had to change his attire and give him a new make up which turned out to be quite nerve-wrecking. For instance, we had to stick Hassan and Ahmad bhai's beard and moustache with UHU glue. It stung them terribly, regardless they performed flawlessly. That's how devoted they are to KDS.

In the short play Kanza baji had the role of mother but she fell so ill that Tayyaba baji had to do it instead, with only 15 minutes of rehearsals! But she pulled it off marvellously!

When they did my make up for the first time. It was so loud and ostentatious that i was baffled at the sight of my reflection in the mirror. Nobody could recognize me not even myself!

Message from Ahmad Mustafa, PRODUCER of KDS annual drama:

'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.' Holding this as our maxim, there was a lot of sweat going to be involved. But all the grind would have been futile if the audience were to return unsatisfied. The onus was upon us and tensions were running high but appreciation and uproar from the crowd brought us sheer joy. So, thankyou for being the best audience ever! The play had become an integral part of our routine and signing off now is a bitter sweet experience. I'm exhilarated to have accomplished it in style and will cherish the memories of these beautiful days with the most amazing family!'

Message from the PRESIDENT of KDS, Hassan Mehmood Lak:

'theatre is the pinnacle of performing arts. Despite intensive preparation and rehearsal, it always comes down to the moment of truth; when you are 'on the stage' you have to 'own the stage'. These past two months couldn't have been more action-packed but on the day,i must confess i had some nervous moments. By the end of the show I was ecstatic that our efforts bore fruit. I am deeply humbled by the audience whose overwhelming response was the yardstick of our success. My earnest gratitude for every single member of the kds family who pooled in to make this event a memorable one!

ONE LINERS from the Audience:
'These guys literally rule the stage and you can just stare in awe as to how effortlessly they ace the hefty task of stage acting! Hats off to the actors and those behind the scenes! - Abdul Moiz Khan

'adakar kalakar funkar.....KDS did it again' -Asma Azam

The phenomenal team KDS manifested its talent in what was one heck of a show, reinforcing the stereotype that teamwork can help you pull off literally anything! -Maryam Fatima

For me, it wasn't just a play. It was a happy day because all my friends were very happy. And then the plays were amazing ofcoarse. Watching the rehearsals is one thing and then watching the people watch the play gives you a whole new perspective about it. the short play was my heart. I have seen Hammad work on it, fight for it. When I saw the ending for the first time, I knew the story was worth the struggle. It was beautiful, the story. Poetic is the word.
And the long play, well nothng needs to be said about that. It was hilarious yes, but there was something very cherishing and happy about i. It didn't trouble anyone. There was a homely sort of  feeling to it. That's what KDS ANNUAL PLAY 2015  meant for me. - Mushafia Hassan

BLOGGER'S CRITIQUE:

The few hours that I have spent writing this event blog, collecting views from KDS family has me wishing I were a part of this roller coaster of a journey. I feel highly obliged for being permitted to peek into what makes this society, a family, moulded into firm bonds of loyalty and love. I congratulate the KDS team on the marvels they put up for all of us. Their performances were out-worldly. It is a pleasure to know that their efforts paid off well.  
Happy Acting! CIAO'