They say “laughter is the best medicine” and it rings true in the case of 100 Din Chor Kay, a play currently taking place at Arts Council, Karachi. Based on Babar Jamal’s adaptation of “Cash on Delivery“, a play by the legendary Michael Cooney, this is the first show of Arts Council’s repertory theater company.
The story revolves around a middle-aged, married man who scams authorities running government welfare programmes to get undue financial advantages. But when they knock at his door with probing questions, all hell breaks loose, with Amir Hassan weaving a web of lies that results in hilarious hijinks and shenanigans.
His antics get everyone caught up in this fiasco, starting from his tenant, Irshad, who hasn’t paid rent in over two years, to his wife, Samra, who has to resort to making her own assumptions in a bid to find a cause of her husband’s [perceived/apparent] betrayal.
100 Din Chor Kay stars ten characters: Amir Hassan (essayed by Fawad Khan), Irshad/ Jimmy Painter (Nazar ul Hassan), Durdana Raja (Sara Taqi), Erum (Alina), Nida (Sheryle John), Samra (Komal Hayat), Dr Faiz (Hassam Irfan), Dino (Ghulam Muhiuddin), Mamo Bashir (Muneeb Shaikh) and Nadeem Farman (Muhammad Ghous), who bring the house down with their hilarious quips.
Directed by Zeeshan Haider, 100 Din Chor Kay is all about madcap antics and witty quips, with very subtle social commentary thrown into the mix. Set design adds another layer to the storytelling. It depicts the lounge of a middle-income household – with multiple doors that adds another pasoori [problem] to the chaos already happening on the stage, resulting in fits of laughter and hilarity.
House music, “Chor nikal kay bhaga” [The thief has fled] is an icing on the cake, igniting just the right amount of curiosity among audience before the play.
The play also incorporates some elements from real life. For instance, it explains us that Irshad’s [fictional] father lost his job because there wasn’t much left to do in cinema for artists after Sultan Rahi’s death, which is an undeniable fact. We all know how Rahi’s demise became one of the reasons of the decline of quality movies and how it shifted the course of Pakistan film industry.
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All performances are brilliant, with actors having excellent call and response and making a few improvisations here and there. I personally love all the characters but it is Irshad’s role that wins the heart of the director.
“Wese tou wo innocent hai lekin wo us [Amir Hassan] kay trap mein aa kar phir come up with own lies..” [Though he is innocent but gets trapped by Amir Hassan to come up with own set of lies].
The only qualms I have are that acoustics could have been better. Artists must have waited for a few seconds for audience’s reaction before delivering the next punchline to make it easier for audience to enjoy every joke, amidst the peals of laughter. But that’s hardly a cause of concern or criticism as it was the first opening night in front of live audience and it takes time to acclimatise to the situation.
All in all, 100 Din Chor Kay is a gut-busting comedy with good messaging. According to the director, the plot echoes:
“Lying is not a good strategy. It will always get you in trouble. You may get some momentary wins but it will always turn around, bite you back.”
If you want to enjoy a side-splitting comedy, don’t miss out on 100 Din Chor Kay. This is sure to leave you in stitches by the end of the evening. Not kidding!
The play is taking place until 17th December 2022, so go grab your ticket and experience this laugh riot with your family or friends.
