Mian, Biwi aur Wagah

- UAE’s original Urdu play on letter-writing to hit the Dubai stage again

DUBAI, 20 June 2018 After finishing its first phase of international tour, UAE’s Urdu theatre is set to return to its home turf of Dubai. Mian Biwi Aur Wagah (MBW), the UAE’s longest running original Urdu theatre, will be performing its Season 3 in Dubai next month.

Earlier this year, MBW performed successful shows in India (New Delhi) and Pakistan (Karachi), becoming the UAE’s first ever Urdu theatre to go global.

“We did eight successful shows in total in Delhi and Karachi, which were received overwhelmingly by people in both the cities. People loved the fact that the UAE has come up with such a novel theatre production. We feel proud as well as humbled that we have been able to represent the UAE as a country where art and culture flourish so beautifully,” said Sheherzad Kaleem, who is heading the production.

MBW is real-life story of a Dubai based Indo-Pak couple, who narrate their real life experiences through letters. “Subcontinent is the region where Urdu was born and flourished and performing our own play there has been a huge honor for us,” said Ehtesham Shahid, lead writer and actor of MBW, playing the role of Miyan [husband] in the play.

He said that a large number of those who watched the play found it difficult to believe that every actor had written their own scripts. “The form of the play has given us the freedom to experiment and we clearly came across as people who were breaking conventions to good effect,” he said. Mohammed Majid, who plays the role of Wagah [the border between India and Pakistan], said that as UAE theatre performers, the group has not only applied a fresh approach to script but also production techniques and performances.

“Honestly, mature audiences in both the cities were not expecting such a powerful play from the UAE. They probably never thought that the UAE can be a breeding ground for dynamic art and cultural activities. We are happy that we showed them a new face of the UAE,” Majid said. This is the first time a border has been a given human form on stage and also transformed into a narrator. MBW, the production of local community theatre group GOONJ productions, has dedicated all their 2018 performances to the “Year of Zayed”. MBW believes in the mantra of “theatre with a cause,” said Sheherzad. “We are not just a group of performers. We also believe in connecting people with love and peace. As our play is based on letter writing, we are promoting the dying tradition of letter writing among various sections of society,” said Sheherzad.

Earlier this year, the group conducted letter-writing workshops at the 2018 Emirates Literature festival where it encouraged people to leave their gadgets, and write letters to their loved ones. “Recently, on the eve of Eid we did the same activity with blue-collar workers and wrote letters for them and posted to their loved ones. We are now committed to more such activities with different social groups in Dubai, before our July performance. We feel so good that we are taking theatre and art to another level,” she said. Last year, Goonj Productions did a special performance of MBW for blue-collar workers and dedicated the show to the ‘Year of Giving”. While sharing Goonj future plans, Sanobar Sabah, Project Manager of the productions said that after July shows in Dubai, the play is traveling again to different parts of the world. “We are receiving invitations from different parts of the world. We are very excited and will do our best to bring the UAE to the forefront as the country that promotes art and culture. MBW is a humble contribution to peace and cultural diversity,” she said.

Earlier this year, MBW also participated in NAPA International theatre and music festival, Karachi - becoming the first ever, Urdu theatre from the UAE to participate in the international festival.   MBW is already the longest running local Urdu theatre that has performed more than 15 shows in less than a year- 7 in Dubai and 8 globally. The play won the JUNCTION awards in three categories – Best Script, Best Regional Language Play and Best Emerging Talent. Goonj Productions is a group of like-minded Indian and Pakistani media professionals residing in the UAE. MBW’s Season 3 performance is scheduled on July 6-7, 2018 at the Junction, Al Serkal Avenue.

Mian Biwi Aur Wagah Language: Urdu Duration : 1hour 45 minutes including 10-min break. Written and Performed by: Amna Khaishgi, Ehtesham Shahid, Mohammed Majid, Faraz Waqar, Sanobar Sabah Head of Productions: Sheherzad Kaleem Produced by: Hassan Sheikh