Sabz is about us. It talks about us as a nation and our approach toward socio-political issues. The subject is difficult to handle as we are not used to theatre which deals with issues and is interesting at the same time. Rather than sugar-coating the issue, we have tried to shughal-coat the whole scenario.
It has dance, it has music and to top it all, it has sense. Its funny that people, who are running business companies, have degrees from Oxford and Cambridge and people who are running the country are holding fake degrees. Where do we draw the line? Are we so dumb a nation to tolerate all this? And for how long? What should the youth be doing in this situation? What role should theatre and art be playing in educating people? These are some of the questions that it raises. We have attempted to answer some of the questions but we at Hazaar Daastan, our theatre company, believe in leading through questions rather than the answers.
It is high time that we start asking such questions and if we don’t do that, we are doomed as a nation. Sabz intends to make people laugh and laugh at themselves, for people who can do that, have the ability to bring about a change and change is what we need at the moment. Sabz brings entertainment and focuses on attainment. Sabz questions our numbness. Sabz pokes us and ridicules our calmness. Sabz wants us to think about the real issues, as Faiz Saab says “aur bhi dukh haiN zamaaney meiN mahabbat k siwa” (there are things to be done other than just love). Sabz believes in the people. Sabz is of the people, for the people, by the people, something we have been waiting for the past 62 years.

Produced by: Umar Hameed (Phantom of the Opera, Bombay dreams, Tom Dick & Harry, Moulin Rouge)
Written & Directed by: Abdullah Farhatullah (Co-writer and Asst. Director Bombay Dreams, Come Again) Choreographed by: Wahab Shah (Bombay Dreams, Tom Dick & Harry, Phantom of the Opera)

Photography and submission by Yousaf Fayyaz.