The 21-day Awami Theatre Festival at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi continues to captivate audiences with its diverse performances. On the festival’s fifth day, the Balochi drama Wash Rang (“Beautiful”) took center stage at AC Auditorium II, drawing a large crowd and generating immense enthusiasm. Written and directed by Danish Baloch, with Wali Raees serving as assistant director, Wash Rang explores themes of beauty, desire, and the consequences of chasing worldly pleasures.
The talented cast featured Abeeha Pyari, Danish Baloch, Shakeel Murad, Zareen Askani, Javed Iqbal, Atta Gul, Atta Deedag, Waqas Baloch, Yaseen Baloch, Nadeem Maliri, and Lal Muhammad Askani, whose performances were met with resounding applause from the audience.
The plot of Wash Rang revolves around a young man who falls in love with a beautiful girl named Wash Rang. Accompanied by his father, he visits her home to propose marriage. However, upon seeing Wash Rang, the father becomes enamored with her, sparking a conflict between father and son. As the dispute escalates, it reaches the police station, where the police officer also becomes infatuated with Wash Rang.
The case is then escalated to a minister, who, upon meeting her, claims her as his fiancée. The situation worsens when a wealthy city leader steps in, declaring Wash Rang as his long-lost fourth wife. Amidst this chaos, Wash Rang proposes a solution: she will run, and the man who catches her will marry her.
As the men chase after her, they fall into a well. In this moment, Wash Rang reflects on how their pursuit of her, much like the pursuit of worldly desires, is ultimately futile and beyond their reach. As the men plead for help, Wash Rang reminds them that they had their chance to change but chose instead to chase transient pleasures. In the end, all the men drown in the well, and Wash Rang vanishes, symbolizing the inevitable consequences of their actions.
The play highlighted the emptiness of chasing materialistic goals, while underscoring the inevitability of life’s end. The performance left the audience not only entertained but also introspective about the deeper meanings of the story. The Awami Theatre Festival continues to showcase compelling dramas, and Wash Rang was a powerful reminder of the festival’s mission to engage and challenge audiences with thought-provoking theatrical performances.
