he audience didn’t just watch Gidh from a distance; they were immersed in its world. Staged at Alhamra recently, this cleverly titled play was written and directed by Kanwal Khoosat through the platform of her Olomopolo Media.

The play follows the story of Saleema, a schoolteacher and housewife in her 30s whose ordinary Sunday is interrupted by the arrival of Salma, a younger woman who claims to be connected to Saleema’s husband. What begins as an unexpected meeting gradually turns into a tense exchange of stories.

As Saleema and Salma talk, the play moves between themes of relationships, domestic violence, loneliness and the kind of things people often hide behind in their day to day lives. The conversation between the two ladies isn’t without humour, though the sense of unease is omnipresent.

The plot thickens as Saleema and Salma make conscious effort to understand each other. Their words don’t always provide clear answers. The audience are repeatedly left wondering who could be trusted and who couldn’t.

Gidh’s unique storyline wasn’t the only reason why the play hit different. The production had placed the audience unusually close to the action. The audience sat in a room that was dark and quiet, while the actors performed only a few steps away. This changed the way the audience experienced the play, making micro-expressions and delicate pauses impossible to miss. The collective silence of the crowd also served to create a tense, uninterrupted atmosphere driven by total engagement.

Rasti Farooq, as Saleema, was stellar. She brought a quiet dignity to the character of a woman trying to maintain the rhythm of life while dealing with situations that become increasingly difficult to understand. Matching her was Azariah Naseeb, as Salma, an intense performance that lent great depth to the story. The mood of the play changed with her entries and exits and the audience was left wondering every time.

As Saleema and Salma talk, the play moves between themes of relationships, domestic violence, loneliness and the kind of things people often hide behind in their day to day lives.

The contrast between the characters of Saleema and Salma was highlighted by the two powerhouse performers who were able to shift their conversations from commonplace to uncomfortable within seconds.

Gidh has a bit of situational humour that never takes away from the grave concerns of the story. As the play progresses, the relationship between Saleema and Salma becomes harder to understand. The audience cannot decide who is right and who is wrong.

This sense of uncertainty is among the play’s most interesting elements. The set also helped create that feeling. With the audience sitting around the performance space, there was no real distance between them and the performers. It was as if the audience had become silent witness to the events taking place in front of them.

The beauty of a play designed like this is that even after the curtains have fallen, the experience stays with you. The lights were still off when the production team invited the audience to have a look around the set and meet with the actors. This helped the audience step back from the overwhelming world of Gidh and look at the space that had held the story together.

When the lights were switched on, Gidh was over, but the questions it had raised remained.

Umair Abbas is a journalist and filmmaker. He can be reached at [email protected]