30/10/2025
Broken Images, written by Girish Karnad, was directed by Yogeshwar Karera in Karachi and staged over the weekend at T2F by Mauj, featuring Raana Kazmi in a demanding single-actor performance. The English play explored fractured identities, the weight of technology, and the confrontation of a woman with her own reflection.
The play followed Mahjabeen Raza, a best-selling author whose book The River Has No Memories is being adapted into a telefilm in Urdu. Mahjabeen, originally an Urdu short story writer, has ventured into English literary fiction, and the play opens with her being interviewed by Heritage News English. What begins as a routine promotional appearance (after several global literary tours) soon turns into something far more layered, revealing cracks not just in her public image but in her inner world.
Throughout the 10-minute interview, we see reflections of Pakistan’s publishing industry — its hierarchies, insecurities, and cultural divides. Having some experience in this field myself, I could relate to the tension of moving “upwards and onwards,” while those you once called friends quietly turn into silent spectators, observers, critics, or worse, rivals.
The play subtly exposes how Pakistani writers who shift from Urdu to English are often “accused” of betraying their language or pandering to global audiences. Yet, ironically, global publishers see our stories as deeply local, raw, and authentic. This duality of being too Western for home and too Eastern for the world sits at the heart of Mahjabeen’s struggle.
Read the complete review by on Images - https://images.dawn.com/news/1194310/