Featuring bumbling generals, assassination plots, and homosexual romance, Pakistani military satire A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif has finally been released in the country's official language Urdu - even as the army tightens its grip on freedom of expression.
The former fighter pilot turned journalist, novelist and librettist is best known for the 2008 novel which chronicles the final days of hardline dictator General Zia-ul-Haq's rule and the myriad conspiracies behind the plane crash that killed him in 1988.
Zia, a pious and far-right dictator in real life, is portrayed by Hanif as a paranoid buffoon backing the Afghan jihad against the Soviets while battling a case of rectal worms.
Although Mangoes is generously salted with heavy doses of humour, the book also unleashes harsh criticism at Pakistan's military establishment.
In the book, the military relies on torture, extrajudicial murder, and covertly supports a jihadist insurgency to pursue its goals -- accusations made by rights activists in real life, but which the military denies, and rarely allows to be repeated by the Pakistani press.
"I love the army. Some of my best friends have died in combat. I have nothing against the institution," explains the 55-year-old, whose own years in uniform provided much of the granular details of military life featured in the book.
"But if the military does something wrong, if they get involved in politics, if they disappear people, then I have to write about it," he adds.
While Mangoes was set in Zia's Pakistan, it was first released in English -- the language of Pakistan's small, educated elite -- during the violent rule of another military dictator, Pervez Musharraf.
- 'Backlash' -
It coincided with Hanif's return to Pakistan after spending nearly 12 years in London with the BBC.
"Some of my journalist friends were scared for me," he recalled.
"I was lucky because 2008 was a particularly bad year in Pakistan with a lot of bloodshed," including the onset of the Pakistani Taliban insurgency, which likely "distracted" potential censors, he says.
Internationally, the novel earned glowing reviews and was longlisted for the Booker Prize, with critics comparing Hanif to famous satire writers Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut.
Despite the widespread praise, more than a decade passed before the novel was translated into Urdu -- Pakistan's other official language, and more widely spoken by the masses.
Works written in English have a narrower, elite audience and so often have greater leeway, while Urdu content tends to be more carefully censored.
According to Hanif, a publisher "sat" on the Urdu translation of the book for years, citing potential repercussions.
But "the time for a backlash has passed", said the book's publisher Hoori Noorani.
"The book had been translated into all major languages of the world. Even though it is a satire and humour can be subversive, it depicts a dark part of our history."
Even so, the book's Urdu release last month comes as authorities have increasingly cracked down on all forms of dissent.
Journalists have complained of the worst censorship since Zia's time, while opposition leaders are rounded up in a controversial anti-corruption campaign.
- Censorship and fear -
As such, the Urdu edition of Mangoes is "very timely," says Harris Khalique, a poet and rights activist.
"Thirty years after the assassination of Zia, writers and journalists are experiencing similar pressures," he adds.
Noorani is hoping to sell a few thousand copies -- a decent number in a country with low literacy rates and an ongoing economic downturn that he says has forced some people to "choose between buying a book or food".
Since Mangoes success, Hanif has gone on to publish two more novels: Our Lady of Alice Bhatti -- the story of a nurse from the Christian minority fighting against patriarchy -- and last year's Red Birds, which focuses on war and refugees.
Hanif has also helped co-create a much anticipated opera about the late Pakistani prime minister Benzair Bhutto, all while pumping out regular op-eds for the New York Times.
As a columnist, Hanif has established himself as one of the premier voices on all things Pakistan -- from the gender politics of making roti to criticism of the army, which saw one of his columns replaced with a blank page in the Pakistani print edition of the paper in 2017.
He admits there are limits -- saying his 2013 book about human rights abuses in restive Balochistan province "would be difficult to write now".
Like most in Pakistani media, he admits to "self-censoring" mostly out of fear of putting his family at risk.
"I have pushed the boundaries," says Hanif. "But I'm now more careful than I've ever been in my life."
ACTOR Raj Ghatak praised the enduring appeal of The Producers as he takes on a role in the hit Broadway show, now playing in the West End.
Ghatak is the first person of colour to portray Carmen Ghia, the flamboyant partner of eccentric director Roger DeBris (Trevor Ashley) and, consequently, his character is dressed in the south Asian attire of sherwani (tunic) and kurta pyjama.
In an interview with Eastern Eye, he said, “The world was arguably a happier place when it was first written.
“But what we’re finding now is that audiences are so grateful to laugh. They sit down, immerse themselves in the story, and forget everything else. That’s the power of theatre.”
Describing the show as a kind of “therapy” for modern times, Ghatak said, “Audiences tell us how welcome it is to laugh so hard again”.
It is the first major London revival of American filmmaker and actor Mel Brooks’ classic, which earned an unprecedented 12 Tony Awards, and has transferred from a sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory to the Garrick Theatre.
Based on Brooks’ 1967 cult film, the story follows two desperate Broadway producers who scheme to get rich by producing a flop, only for their plan to go hilariously wrong.
Trevor Ashley as Roger DeBris and Ghatak as Carmen Ghia in The Producers
Teeming with Brooks’ signature wit, the show delights in its irreverence, sending up everything from show business to politics. Ghatak said, “It’s massively exciting to be part of it. And this time around, they’ve leaned in to my ethnicity. I wear a kurta pajama and a sherwani – things that have obviously never been done before. It gives us visibility.”
Two decades ago, Ghatak starred in Bombay Dreams, AR Rahman’s West End musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, that became a cultural turning point for British Asian performers.
Ghatak recalled how the show “broke the glass ceiling for south Asian actors”.
He said, “At the time, it was just a job – a very high-profile one. But, years later, people tell me they were taken to see that show as children, and because of it, they felt they had permission to be an actor. That’s something that was never the case in my day.”
That generational shift is something Ghatak takes pride in. “When I look back, it feels like we’ve come a long way. But we still have a long way to go.”
Being part of The Producers brought Ghatak face to face with one of his heroes. Brooks himself, now 99, had to approve his casting.
The actor said, “They filmed my meeting. I met the team on a Friday afternoon, and on Monday morning they said, ‘Pending Mel Brooks’ approval, we’d like to offer you the role.’ I remember thinking, if I don’t get his approval, does this mean I can’t do the job?”
The cast had four weeks of full-time rehearsals. “For that production, I watched both films,” Ghatak said, referring to the 1967 original and the 2005 version with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
“I wanted to understand the source material. I’m a firm believer that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Otherwise, you’re changing something for the sake of it. But rehearsals are where you experiment and play.” He credited both Brooks’ writing and Patrick Marber’s direction for the show’s humour.
“Our director comes from a background of plays. My own background is in plays, TV and film. So, we both approached this with the idea that, however heightened the situation or character, it must be grounded in truth,” he said.
Ghatak trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Queen Mary University in London and has worked with Emma Thompson, Nicole Kidman, Riz Ahmed, Sir Derek Jacobi, Ewan M c G r e - g o r, Hugh Jackman and Benedict Cumberbatch. His stage credits include The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and The Father and the Assassin. He has worked with some of the most respected directors in theatre, including Dominic Cooke, Indhu Rubasingham, Rufus Norris, Kerry Michael and now Marber.
Despite his achievements, the actor is conscious of the ongoing struggles for representation. He said, “As much as the situation has improved, we’ve still got a long way to go. Roles that challenge me, excite me. There are so many stories from the Asian subcontinent and diaspora that deserve to be told.
“When I started, there were very few people I could look to as role models. That’s why I’ve become such a champion for diversity and inclusion.”
Born and raised in north London to Bengali parents from Kolkata, he grew up surrounded by music and culture.
“My father was a doctor, and my mother was a chemistry teacher,” Ghatak said, adding, “But there was always music at home. My father sings Rabindra Sangeet, my mother plays guitar, and my sister is a classical singer.” Initially, he didn’t see acting as a viable career. “I went to a very academic school.
My interests were split between medical sciences and the performing arts.”
Eventually, he followed his childhood passion and trained as an actor.
He said, “A show like The Producers challenges me in a different way - it makes me laugh and it makes me think. That’s what keeps me passionate about the work.”
Asked what continues to excite him about musical theatre, Ghatak said, “Being in this show and telling this story. The comedy, the chaos, the craft… it’s such a joy. And to be the only person of colour among the six principal cast members, representing our community on such a stage, that’s something I’m proud of.”
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