World Culture Festival: Dark comedy 'Aaj Ki Taza Khabar' puts other shows in shade

A pall of melancholy seemed to drape over the audience on the seventh day of the World Culture Festival 2024, as the curtain rose on the dark comedy, Slaver: Aaj Ki Taza Khabar, at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Wednesday.

The play, whose characters are four friends namely, Kashif, Faisal, Billy, and Goonga, touched on themes like terrorism and counterterrorism in today's world. 

The play, featuring four friends — Kashif, Faisal, Billy, and Goonga —explored themes of terrorism and counterterrorism in the modern world.

Directed by Younas Khan and written by Nasir Saleem, the black comedy begins with four friends taking refuge in a graveyard while evading the police. 

To their horror, the dead rise, forcing them to confront the menaces of new era. As the story progresses, they grapple with making the right choices in a rapidly changing world. 

The 75-minute-long play was performed at Auditorium 1.

A day earlier, a beaming audience cheered 'Taleem-e-Balighan 2.0', a modern twist on Khawaja Moinuddin's iconic 1956 satire, for its tongue-in-cheek humour.

The adaptation of the classic, which critiques society through the lens of adult education, was updated for contemporary audiences but still highlighted how little has changed since its original debut, shedding light on persistent societal flaws.

The show left a charged audience in splits with its razor-sharp wit and irresistible comic energy. The comedic brilliance, which remained true to the original, resonated with today’s viewers.

The festival features more than 450 artists from 40 different countries and will continue till November 2 at the ACP Karachi.

Earlier, the festival was scheduled to end on October 30; however, ACP Karachi President Mohammad Ahmad Shah extended the date by three days.

Geo and Jang group are the media partners of the ACP in the World Culture Festival. Tickets for the event can be easily obtained from the ACP and Ticketwala service.