"JUM JUM JEEWAY JAMAN PURA"
(Long Live the Delivery Town)

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1995 (Lahore)


Written by: Shahid Nadeem
Directed by: Madeeha Gauhar

A light hearted comedy which Focuses on the serious issue of the growing population in developing countries especially Pakistan. The play is a story of the delivery town where a family planning clinic has been set up and has let to controversy and polarization of men and women about the need for family planning. The play is a rollicking comedy which provokes laughter and makes and audience think about the serious issues being raised. There is the local mullah who has set up an NGO the proliferation of children while the wives have formed a united front against the uncaring husbands. The neutral person in this battle of sexes is Reema the transvestite. The Mullah leads the local people of the neighborhood against the efforts of Dr. Mahjabeen who runs the local family planning clinic. But the Mullah is in for a rude shock, when he sees his own wife joining the pro family planning camp.

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Review: Not only did the play deliver its message(s) and information about family planning and female empowerment very successfully but said it through developed characters, a strong plot (and some amusing sub-plos), humorous dialogue and witty one-liners. Even Benazir Bhutto is unwilling to take in the self-appointed clergy of Islam on the issue of family planning (and other issues as well), as evidenced by her Cairo speech: but Shahid pulled no punches in holding this same clergy to be chiefly responsible for our failure in controlling our population growth.
(The Friday Times 20-26 October, 1994)