eader is a love story, set against the backdrop of politics. Penned by Radain Shah and directed by Asad Mumtaz Malik, it premiered on March 28. The play, which stars Kinza Hashmi and Ali Raza in lead roles is off to an explosive start. The question is: can it sustain its momentum?

Rabab Wasif, played by Kinza Hashmi, is a politician-cum-landlord’s daughter. Agha Wasif heads a leading political party, the KNP. Fresh off her return from Europe, Rabab joins a local university to pursue a degree in political science.

Her first day turns out to be a revelation of sorts, as two university students who are also members of another political party, the UIP, are badly beaten up by the police and thrown outside the university gate.

Mansoor Ali Shah, portrayed by Ali Raza, is a farmer’s son. He is a hot-headed young man with political aspirations. He is also intent on leading a revolt against the feudal system. When two of his father’s goats accidentally wander onto Agha Wasif’s ancestral land, one is seized by his men and slaughtered, his father’s vehement protests notwithstanding.

Mansoor, raging at the injustice of it all, is ready for a face-off with the culprits but is stopped by his father. To exact his revenge, he sets the munshi’s meeting place on fire before fleeing to university in the city with his best friend, Adeel.

At university, he meets Rabab, Agha’s daughter. Impressed by his eloquence and charisma, she joins his political party. An influential politician’s daughter who has been brought up in the lap of luxury, she conceals her true identity and makes an attempt to mingle with the other students. She pretends that she hails from a modest family. She also asks her first cousin to request her father to let her shift to the hostel. He refuses outright.

This unusual love story promises to entertain and educate in equal measure.

Rabab’s cousin, Asif Ahmad, is an assistant commissioner of police. He keen on marrying her. He is seen as her father’s right-hand man and his political successor. The two discuss everything. It is at his behest that two of the university students, active members of the UIP, were picked up and tortured, before being dumped - two days later - in front of the campus. When students stage a sit-in, he tries to placate them by promising to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate the episode. He also promises to induct some members of the party’s youth wing in the working group.

The sit-in ends and political activities recommence with fresh zeal and vigour. Rabab finds herself being sucked into the world of politics, mainly because she is attracted to Mansoor and identifies with his political ideology. However, her father wants to marry her off to her cousin. He is aware of what he sees as her reluctance but is determined have it his way.

The direction is promising. The main leads carry their roles convincingly. Kinza looks fresh and acts well. Ali Raza promises to set the screen on fire. Agha is functional. All the supporting characters help move the narrative forward.

Tune in every Saturday and Sunday to catch this production. It is highlighting how peasants are exploited by the landlords who wish to keep them ignorant, so that they can be easily exploited and abused.

Agha Wasif is portrayed as an avaricious, shrewd, corrupt and self-seeking political party leader, who has no qualms about exploiting those who work for him. When peasants approach him with their concerns, they are placated with false promises.

This love story promises quite a few fireworks; the new on-screen pairing looks promising. This unusual love story promises to entertain and educate in equal measure. Some eye candy in the form of Asif Ahmad and Mansoor does not hurt either. Recommended.

The writer is an educationist. She can be reached at [email protected].