ZAHRSSS (Interview)

Production Name: ZAHRSSS Productions
Production members and their positions:
1. Zakiullah Khan (President/Writer/Director/Producer/Actor)
2. Sajid Akram (Vice President/Writer/Producer)
3. Aasiya Khan (General Secretary/Actor)
4. Younas Khan (Coordinator/Actor)
5. Imran Ahmed (Writer/Backstage incharge /Director)
6. Abdullah Ali (Actor)
7. Sarmad Khan (Actor)
8. Sadia Taskeen (Actor)
9. Asif Shehzad Malik (Actor/ Production coordinator)
10. Arshad Malik (Actor)
11. Humaira Shoaib (Actor)
12. Syed Maqsood Sabir (Actor/Lights Operator)
13. Mirza Taimur Baig (Actor/Sound operator)
14. Hamid Yousaf Khan (Actor)
15. Saleem Akhtar (Actor)
16. Tariq Raja (Actor)

Tell us a bit about yourself?
“ZAHRSSS Productions” is a complete Performing Arts Production Company mainly including theatre plays with a bright team of qualified members and performers. Our team members have been the students of “Arts Council Theatre and Media Academy”, Karachi
ZAHRSSS a completely unique name, tell us a bit it about what it stands for etc?
The name ZAHRSSS is very unique and it becomes more unique when you pronounce it “ ZAAAHRSSS”. ZAHRSSS the name is created by taking the initials of the names of the team members who created this theatre Production company.

How was ZAHRSSS formed?
It’s was formed by the passed out batch from Arts Council Theatre and Media Academy in 2009 by Zakiullah khan(Z), Aasiya Khan(A), Hamza Khan(H), Rehan Khan(R), Shahrukh Ali(S), Shakeel Hussain(S), and Sajid Akran(S)
All of the members in your team, do they specialize or have a degree in dramatic arts or they just learned these skill as the time passed?
10 out of 16 team members are Trained/Certified Theatre Actors/Directors, and all of us are still trying to learn this craft. With each performance we are getting better and stronger.
Are you guys passionate about what you guys do or is it just a hobby for all of you?
Passionate about Theatre?? WE ARE CRAZY ABOUT THEATRE! WE ARE MAD ABOUT THEATRE! WE ARE ADDICTED TO THEATRE!
Do you guys perform any one certain skit/act on every show or you have different acts/skits for different shows?
We have variety of plays to offer, from Shakespeare to Anton Chekov, from Munshi Prem Chand to Agha Hashar Kashmiri. Apart from this we also create original scripted/improvised plays to cater the need of corporate clients.
Is there a certain message you guys try to portray to the audience watching you guys?
Theatre without a Positive message is like a Book with empty pages, We do theater to educate our audience. Theatre is the strongest medium to spread awareness and we try our level best to spread it.
What’s the biggest challenge?
Biggest Challenge on stage is controlling the audience during the performance. We usually perform at Universities or at Youth Conferences. Our Audience(youth) is well educated and they don’t accept any armature acts on stage, so we have to be on our toes all the time plus educate them and ENTERTAIN THEM. :D
I am a drama student as well and no doubt you need a lot of practice for it? How long have you guys been doing drama for and if there’s a performance than how many days do you rehearse?
We started doing Theatre (Professionally) from December 2010. Theatre needs to be perfect and practice makes a man perfect. A lot of energy and time is invested in rehearsals because on stage u don’t have any options like RETAKES in film or TV drama. We work project to project. Our rehearsal period varies project to project. Its minimum 10-days and max 45-days.


If any 1 person leaves ZAHRSSS, would it affect you guys?
Definitely it will affect the whole team because we are working together for more than 3 years now and the chemistry between us is very strong. But if any one part their separate ways it will affect us but only for a short period.
Who comes with the script and story of an act?
We have writers who adapt/write plays. But if any other team member comes up with an interesting idea/story, we then improvise the whole play.
Biggest achievement?
Biggest achievements yet to achieve. but other achievements include:
1. We have introduced a new form of Theatre in Pakistan that is “i-Theatre” through our award winning theatre series “ MadYa NOT MedYa”. (i-theatre comprises of various improvised skits put together into one act long play)
AWARDS:-
1. All Karachi Dramatics Competition 2011 in Bahria University: (MadYa NOT MedYa: 1st Position and Best Actor Award)
2. SABZ by Hazaar Dastaan: (for the 1st time in Pakistan, Hazaar Dastaan who were performing "SABZ" in Arts Council Karachi on 22/4/2011 to 04/5/2011 allowed another Theatre Company "ZAHRSSS Productions" to showcase a teaser of "MadYa NOT MedYa" every night before the actual performance.)
3. Youth Theatre Festival 2011: (MadYa NOT MedYa : Best Script and Won the 3rd Position)
4. SZABIST Media Festival 2011: (Kaa-Fun : Best Adaptation and Best Actor)
5. Youth Festival 2009: (Badi Dair ke Meherbaan Aaty Aaty : Won the 3rd Position)
6. Drama fest '11 in IBA: (Bari Dair ke Meherbaan Aaty Aaty: Best Direction/Script)


Any funny, embarrassing thing that happened on the stage?
Funny incidents happens often on stage but we usually improvise those mistakes into-as a part of our play. Hmmm we remember during the play “SURKHAB KA MAKAN” written by AGHA hashar Kasmiri. One of our actor pushed a glass table by mistake and the glass broke and the pieces were all over the stage, but our other actor Aasiya Khan did a remarkable job on stage by improvising the whole scene. And in the end the audience thought that this GLASS incident was the part of the play.
What do you think is there any scope of dramatic arts in Pakistan?
Yes the theatre industry in Pakistan is growing and now new theatre Productions are entering into the market. The sponsor are supporting the new talent. So yes The market is getting bigger and better.
Any last words?
PAKISTAN ZINDABAAD.
Thoughts on Lespectra.
You guys are doing a fantastic job.