See Pakistan’s renowned play Na Mukammal in Dubai on January 7 and 8, 2023

Dubai: UAE’s theatre scene is fast becoming an inspiration and playing ground for theatrical communities all over the world. Not only are there performing arts in English and Arabic, but also now in ethnic languages like French, Italian, Hindi, Urdu, Greek and many more. For the local community, these are very valuable in that it adds to the multi-national environment of the country (giving expats the to explore other cultures), but also nostalgic elements for residents of the respective country here in the UAE (which is now home). One such production, Na-Mukammal, literally meaning Incomplete, is coming to Dubai in January 2023 which is one of the most popular productions from Pakistan’s local community scene. This is only the second Pakistani theatrical production to come to UAE, and the first one to be staged at Al-Serkal Avenue.

Na Mukammal is a drama that is based on deep human conditioning and emotion. A play about all that is left unsaid in our lives and the impact these silences have on those we love. This original play explores themes of longing, jealousy and the self-destructive nature of love. Qasim and Noor are deeply in love till one evening in June 1969 Qasim finds some letters addressed to his wife. He is consumed with jealousy and a sense of betrayal but he remains silent. Noor is devastated when she discovers that Qasim knows about the letters. However, she also stays silent. The silence between them grows and consumes their relationship and casts a shadow on their lives for a long time. The story promises to resonate cross-culturally, hopefully letting people in the audience relate and perhaps see shades of their lives being unfolded on stage. The show will have English subtitles as well to facilitate the multi-lingual audience of UAE.

The cast and crew are true theatre artists who have been brought up in the local culture scene back home. They are professionally trained actors with diplomas in acting having trained under legends like Zia Mohyuddin and Rahat Kazmi. They have all had their individual struggles with one losing his house in the recent flooding, and two artists travelling internationally for the first time. Although they have won multiple laurels back home, this is the first time they are going global – and what better place to start, than the UAE?

The show is playing at the Junction Theatre in Al-Serkal Avenue from January 7 to 8, 2023 with shows at 7.30 pm on both days. The cast and crew will hold an interactive session with the audiences post each show.

An original drama centred around music, Na Mukammal is written and directed by Hasnain Raza who is possibly the youngest and the first to have penned an original play in Pakistan. The musical drama uniquely showcases two stories that run parallel and explores identifiable universal themes of love, loss and longing set against the 70s and 90s where music unites the characters and stitches the story together.

“I wrote this play only so I could play all my favourite songs in a large theatre hall. When I penned it, I didn’t have any grand ideas for the story, just my love for classical jazz. My friends hated my playlist so I wrote this play, cast them [for the initial run] and made them fall in love with the music,” said Hasnain Raza, writer and director of Na Mukammal.

The original play is produced by award-winning documentarian turned actor Hani Taha under her banner Hangami Productions in collaboration with Tall Tales Production (UAE) and The Junction Theatre (UAE).

“When I first saw Na Mukammal staged, I was blown away by its use of music, live rain, exquisite lights and a story so fresh and impactful that we had never seen in Pakistan. In over 5 years something original was put out and I instantly knew that this was a project that needed to be shown across the world as an emblem of our culture,” said producer/actor Hani Taha on why she chose to bank on Na Mukammal.

Asad Raza Khan, CEO and Founder of Tall Tales Productions, is happy to welcome such a production to Dubai said, “We have seen a lot of famous productions come to Dubai, but we felt it was time to bring artists who are dominating the local scene in specific regions. Hangami Productions are as true theatre artists as can be. Even though many of them were struck with personal challenges (one of the actors had his home washed away in the recent flooding), they still continued to shine in what they do best! It is our privilege to host them in UAE!”

Gautam Goenka, Owner and Co-Founder of The Junction Theatre, says it is critical to support grassroots international talent to come for the benefit of local community theatre said, “The local theatre scene in UAE is growing exponentially and we are all in to help is reach new levels. Getting artists from other countries helps grow the capability of the talent here as well. This is why The Junction is proud to be a partner at this event.”

The shows in Dubai will be performed from January 7 to 8 2023 at The Junction Theatre on Al-Serkal Avenue. There will be an evening shows at 7 30 pm each day with a special interaction with the cast and crew post each show. This is being done to encourage local talent and students to come to engage with international artists. The show is primarily in Urdu/Hindi but can be easily understood by people not speaking the language as well. To further facilitate the multi-national audience of UAE, there will be English Subtitles in the show.