Last week Imran messaged me, asking for story ideas for a stage play "to promote Aman ki asha and the concept of 'Milne do' (let them meet) to be staged in various cities of India and Pakistan in association with Mahesh Bhatt Saab".
The Reunion ad taps into a growing groundswell for peace between the people of India and Pakistan, but their desire to meet is stonewalled by the restrictive visa rules. Imran plans to incorporate these points into the stage play "in order to make it meaningful".
I've never met Imran but we've been in touch since early 2011, when he was involved in our campaign to free the Pakistani prisoner Dr Khalil Chishty, falsely convicted of murder in India.
A protégé of Mahesh Bhatt, Imran worked tirelessly behind the scenes, pushing contacts in the media to take up the story, contributing to public awareness about the case (Dr Chishty was acquitted in December 2102).
Having grown up in Bokaro, Jharkand (Bihar), where his parents still live, Imran began acting while studying at Delhi University. His initial training by Arvind Gaur, who runs the theatre group Asmita focusing on innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre, has stood him in good stead.
Zahid has received plaudits for his leading roles in Bhatt's stage productions — The Last Salute, about the Iraqi who hurled a shoe at American President George W. Bush, and The Trial of Errors, exposing atrocities against religious minorities in India. Bhatt's third play is one that Imran urged him to do – an adaptation of Bhatt's 1982 Arth, to be staged in Feb-March 2014.
The play will feature live music from both countries. Imran spoke to the Pakistani band Laal, visiting India last week. They promptly agreed to be on board.
It's an ambitious plan given the visa regime and ongoing tensions: to conduct rehearsals in India and Pakistan, and stage the play in Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, before taking it to other cities.