Even though Rahat Kazmi insists that he is not set out to give any social message in his third directorial effort, ‘Khamosh! Yeh Adalat Hay’ (Silence! The court is in session), the sensitive subject matter of Napa Repertory Theatre Company’s tenth play does exactly that. Originally written in Marathi by India’s celebrated playwright Vijay Tendulkar, the beautifully crafted play has been adapted into Urdu by Intizar Hussain and is being staged at the Arts Council Auditorium in Karachi until 25th of May.

At its opening night on Saturday, the high-voltage performance successfully managed to rattle the audience’s preconceived notions about morality and the place their sub continental society gives to unmarried women.

The plot revolves around the fate of the flirtatious Miss Benare (played to perfection by Bakhtawar Mazhar), who is a school teacher and part of a theatre group that arrives in a village to perform. The intriguing play within the play takes an ugly turn when the male actors conspire to put her in the dock in a mock trial and charge her for allegedly trying to kill a love child taking shape in her womb.

Sukhatmay (Owais Mangalwala), the vicious lawyer, leaves no stone unturned in portraying the single unmarried woman as a blot on the face of an upright and patriarchal society, despite the fact that all his accusations are based on flimsy evidence. ‘But she was seen with a man alone, my lord!’ exhorts Sukatmay, almost echoing the sentiments of countless men in our own society who hold such views. The arrogant Ponkshay (played expertly by Ali Rizvi) too joins in the fray and gives his eyewitness account of how the woman begged him to marry her. Ponkshay disdainfully asks: ‘how can I marry such a woman,’ who is but seeking acceptance in a society that looks down upon women wanting to raise a child on their own. The flamboyant Karnick played by Rauf Afridi is perhaps the most delightful and comical of all the characters; he too joyfully gangs up on Benare.

Benare initially plays along with her co-actors, but later realizes that she’s been trapped and tries to get out of the mock courtroom when it gets too personal. However, Mrs Kashikar (Uroosa Shamim), the judge’s wife, puts Benare back in the dock by force.

The climax reaches when the judge, Kashikar (Ali Sheikh) reads out his verdict based on the ‘overwhelming evidence’. Will he allow the woman and her unborn child to live?

The Saturday night performance, however, was marred by some technical glitches; the fountain on stage didn’t work and there was an annoying buzz in the microphone used unnecessarily in the end. Also, the over two and half hour long play was a bit of a drag. The extended monologues of some characters, such as Karnick, affected the rhythm of the play and could have been reduced.

The set design was not grand, but it looked elegant. Although there was nothing brilliant about the costumes or the stage lighting, the simplicity of it all gelled in well with the theme of the play.

If nothing else, the play is worth the Rs 500 price tag for its powerful dialogues, especially that of Benare in the end which sums up the dark undertones of our society. Students can avail a 50 per cent discount on the ticket.