World Culture Festival: 'Road' explores self-discovery through movement

KARACHI: The 27th day of the World Culture Festival witnessed an impressive physical theatre performance by Russian company, leaving a deep impression on the minds of the audience at the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) in Karachi on Tuesday.

Played by Russia’s Lidia Kopina Theatre, Road is a journey of self-discovery, where the act of walking symbolises the search for belonging and identity.

“As the paths blur, the traveler faces fears, desires, and attachments, realising the focus is not on the road but on the one walking it,” the description stated.

The performance invites spectators to explore their subconscious and reflect on their own experiences with each step taken.

A day earlier, the offbeat psycho-comedy stage play "Khawboon Ki Nautanki" split the audience's sides with its convoluted humour.

Set in Karachi, the 60-minute play, written by Babar Jamal and directed by Uzma Sabeen, follows two intriguing characters: Asad and Shiren, a couple. This was an adaptation of the play "Suppressed Desire".

Having a deep interest in psychology, the duo has poles-apart positions on psychoanalysis — a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and also a method of treating various mental disorders, based on the theories of Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud.

Shiren, an avid believer in the psychological sciences, becomes obsessed with interpreting the suppressed desires of those around her, particularly focusing on Asad and her sister Huma, creating razor-sharp humour cleverly woven by the dramatist into the thick of the plot.

As the misunderstandings escalate, Shiren’s psychoanalytic zeal creates comedic tension, driving Asad nuts, and giving rise to situations that are hard not to laugh at.

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

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.