Amar Bel

Dastan – Amar Bel brings to life one of Ismat Chughtai’s most quietly piercing stories — a tale where the personal and the political, the intimate and the universal, sit side by side with her signature frankness. In this bittersweet narrative, an older man finds himself married to a woman radiating youth, beauty, and possibility — qualities that shine all the brighter against his own creeping frailty. Her presence becomes both a source of desire and a tormenting reminder of his decline, as Chughtai examines the complex knots of gender, age, insecurity, and power that shape their relationship.

Before this poignant piece unfolds, the performance opens with Badi Umr ki Biwi ke Fayadey by Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi, a sharply humorous take on marriage from the perspective of one of Pakistan’s most celebrated humorists. Often likened to James Thurber for his gentle satire and razor-sharp observations, Yusufi offers a playful meditation on the unexpected advantages — and comic truths — of having an older wife.

Presented together, the two works create a layered evening of theatre: one that shifts effortlessly from laughter to introspection, from satire to sorrow. Chughtai’s fearless feminism meets Yusufi’s elegant humour, offering audiences a portrait of relationships that is at once tender, troubling, and deeply human.