Artists at a Herat theater company on Thursday announced that they have started working on a comedy-drama which is aimed to push back against the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and bring smiles to people’s faces amid the ongoing violence in the country.

Over 100 artists--among them ten women--are performing in the show that will be completed in the next month.

The comedy-drama is named Khyal Palaw (imaginary world), and will be broadcast on television locally in Herat. 

“The coronavirus has left a significant impact on the psychology of the people, so we decided to make this comedy-drama,” said Faraidoon Fakaori, the head of the Herat theater group.

The comedy-drama will have 20 episodes.

“We have not had a theater for the past several years, we don’t have a cinema, the artists aren’t being supported, the majority of the artists and actors are disappointed and have left acting,” said Mohammad Yaqoub Amini, a theater artist.

“The government should focus on cinema and theater, the national businessmen should also support us so that we can make films and dramas,” said Ghulam Sakhi Ghulami, a theater artist.

Meanwhile, female artists who are supposed to act in the comedy-drama have said that some social traditions are still hindering them from demonstrating their abilities in cinema.

“Some women come and work in cinema and theater, but there are some social issues which demoralize them, they also face opposition by their families,” said Ruqqayya Hassanzada, an artist.

Herat has the most artists in cinema and theater after Kabul. But they have always criticized the government for not investing in the cinema.