Bringing political satire to stage

Gachibowli: The Department of Theatre Arts, University of Hyderabad presented their annual production ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’ at Vrittayanam Open Air Theatre recently. The play, which is a political satire based on the life of Nana Phadnavish and Ghashiram Kotwal, was enacted by the first semester students.

‘Ghashiram Kotwal’ is a Marathi play and has been written by Vijay Tendulkar, who was a leading Indian playwright, literary essayist, movie and television writer, and social commentator primarily in Marathi. The play which is considered a classic in modern Indian theatre describes how men in power give rise to ideologies to serve their purposes, and later destroy them when they become useless.

The play was directed by Professor Satyabrata Rout, presently working with the Department of Theatre Arts. The characters incarnated each emotion and scene through their acting skills leaving the audience enthralled. While encouraging the artists and appreciating their work Ruthi Misaki, a student who watched the play opined that everything from the stage setup to actors was great. The stage design was attractive and brilliant.