Islamabad (GNP): A new theatre production on the life of Amir Khusro, one of the subcontinent’s most celebrated poets and musical figures, drew a standing ovation from a packed audience at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday.
The play, titled Amir Khusro, was presented by Dolphin Communication. Audience members applauded director Asma Butt, writer Arshad Chahal and the full cast, praising the acting, the dialogue and the overall staging. Applause broke out repeatedly during the performance.
Dolphin Communication says it is the first to present the subject on stage in this way in either Pakistan or India. Butt is the company’s chief executive as well as a writer and director, and she is known for staging historical figures and the Sufi and literary traditions of the region.
The production continues that approach. It uses contemporary theatrical language to bring cultural subjects to modern viewers.
Speaking about the play, Butt described Khusro as a great Sufi, a poet and a towering presence in the subcontinent’s musical heritage. He was a disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and enriched the region’s literary and cultural life through poetry in both Persian and Hindavi. His mystical verse remains a cornerstone of qawwali and other musical traditions.
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Butt also explained how the project began. She was performing her earlier play Shah Hussain Madholal in India when she visited the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Hearing Khusro’s mystical poetry there, she said, strengthened her determination to bring his life and artistic legacy to the stage.
She thanked the guests and said the play was the product of collective effort. She added that she sees it as a responsibility to carry historical and cultural figures to the younger generation, many of whom may know the names but not the stories behind them.
Asma Butt said, “Carrying historical and cultural figures to young people is a responsibility I take seriously.”
