A twist in the plot

At the prelims round of SKits 2015, Dramanon’s theatre competition, Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, directed by Krishna Shukla did not see a great response. However, the group was chosen as a wild card entry for the finals. But what they weren’t expecting was a clean sweep of the awards and walking away with the first prize.

“The play is a satire on the press. About how they give these sensational headlines but there is hardly any content. Everyone just wants to read headlines... never the content,” explains Krishna. The first scene of the play opens with a couple from UP. The husband played by Avkash complains about the missing newspaper and his wife played by Sangya blames it on their Hyderabadi neighbour, Pandu’s dog. “What happens when Pandu (Naren Yadav) and the UP couple get into an argument.

How the media and politics gets involved in the play forms the rest of the story,” says Krishna. The play written by Surinder Sahil Verma was adapted by Krishna. The group swept away the top awards, like the runner-up for best director, best actress award and best actors (won by both Naren Yadav and Avkash).