About The Event
The new production of The Mirror Merchants, Chaarpaai, is a collection of four short plays that discuss various aspects of womanhood while questioning the true meaning of masculinity in their present context. Why do women become the most powerful bargaining chip during war and political calamity? Why is sexual freedom and expression not a woman's prerogative? Why does one conform to different codes of morality for men and women even today? Is rape a tool for exhorting power and domination over women?
Chaarpaai starts off with an adaptation of Saadat Hassan Manto's famous short story, Khol Do, which beautifully portrays the trauma of sexual violence in times of political calamity. The second piece (Pussy Riot) is a commentary on censorship and butchering of the freedom of expression of women writers, poets and artists around the world, across time. The third story (Do Boond Roshni Ki) discusses masculinity and gender roles through the eyes of a eunuch and a prostitute. Finally, the fourth piece (The Idiots) is a tongue-in-cheek comedy about escapism and objectification of women in today's media.
Chaarpaai starts off with an adaptation of Saadat Hassan Manto's famous short story, Khol Do, which beautifully portrays the trauma of sexual violence in times of political calamity. The second piece (Pussy Riot) is a commentary on censorship and butchering of the freedom of expression of women writers, poets and artists around the world, across time. The third story (Do Boond Roshni Ki) discusses masculinity and gender roles through the eyes of a eunuch and a prostitute. Finally, the fourth piece (The Idiots) is a tongue-in-cheek comedy about escapism and objectification of women in today's media.
