When a journalist takes to creative writing it is perhaps inevitable that the creative ink will have shades of the journalistic one. And so, though the emotional quotient in it may be on the lower side (Jaal, was written for the ‘Writers Bloc-3’ workshop, conducted to discover and hone new talent for theatre) the subject of the play is one that dominates headlines sporadically in our media – displacement of helpless folks whose voice is rarely heard when large development projects are undertaken.

Interestingly, Zaidi has structured the play as a whodunit. Gopal, a constable, returns to his village, Mohgaon, ostensibly on holiday. In fact, he has been sent here on duty to discover who killed the engineer working on a dam that will rob the villagers of not just their homes but livelihood as well. The villagers, a tight-lipped, united lot, are not taken in by Gopal’s pretence of holidaying and refuse to divulge any information about the murder.

Within this structure Zaidi weaves in several moral dilemmas. Should Gopal be loyal to his uniform or empathise with the plight of the villagers? Can murder be condoned because it is for a cause? Pertinently, his uncle, the sarpanch asks Gopal, “What’s the use of electricity without a house?” And, unequivocally, declares that those who forcefully take away their land and water will get a fitting reply.

Gopal, who had been urged to join the police force by the same uncle, retaliates with, “When you asked me to join the police force, you didn’t mention that doing justice would be so difficult.”

Should Gopal betray his people? Should his uncle betray him? It is a catch-22 situation in which the fisherman’s jaal (net) becomes a metaphor for a predicament in which both are caught. A crafty scribe looking for a sensational headline sums it up well. By sending an insider to uncover the plot, the senior police officers have devised a clever strategy. Does the strategy succeed? Or do the villagers outwit the cops?

To Zaidi’s credit, she has us guessing till the very end. Where the play sags is in some of the emotional scenes, with mediocre performances by supporting players not helping in any way to uplift them.

But, with a little honing, Zaidi can become a playwright to look out for, one relevant to our times.

Annie Zaidi on choosing a murder-mystery structure for a serious subject like displacement of villagers in the wake of development projects

The subject is serious but I didn’t want to sound preachy. I did try other formats like romance but I found they were not working. To understand something you have to try to understand it, you can’t have a mental block. The murder-mystery format allowed me to raise questions in the mind of the audience and let the subject unfold as the play progressed.

Also, this format helped me to raise questions without offering answers. At the end of the day, I really don’t have the answers. It is difficult to say what is right and what isn’t.

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