The funny side of MAYAbharata

What does one get when a smattering of thought and witty dialogue delivery is thrown into a contemporary take on classicS? A theatrical which eggs you to think and chuckle away, perhaps? Or so believes the team behind Maya Baazar, a fund raiser play, which will be performed all through this month, in a bid to raise funds in aid of children affected by cancer. In a free wheeling chat, the core committee tells us more...

“The play is an off-shoot of Mahabharata infused with a host of new characters and elements of fun twists and rib-tickling comedy. While the plot is sketched along a theme of how Abhimanyu wins the hand of Sashirekha, the love of his life, with some help from Ghatothkacha, his merry rakshasas and from Krishna; the intent behind the play is to get people to cheer up a little, while they contribute for a higher cause,” states Sridhar Ramanathan, the director and script-writer of the play.

Put together by 30-odd artistes who moonlight theatre with full-time jobs, Vijay Sharma, one of the protagonists says, “We’re all regular guys with hectic day-time jobs. Maybe, that explains how, despite rehearsing from September 1, it was only during the weekends that we caught up and practice.”

While all the proceeds from the play will go to charity; the expectation is an intention in itself. Speaking about the same, Sridhar enthuses, “When we started out, the plan was simple and clear —to get people of all age groups to laugh. Chuckle at a play, which is a modern take of a historical movie. This isn’t directed at any particular person or a specific age group. But rather to anyone who’s up for a good laugh while investing a few 100s for a cause. We wanted to make charity more engaging and fun, and this is our way of giving back — with a plot which will leave a smile on your face.”

— Maya Bazaar will be staged on November 26 and 27 at the New Horizon College Of Engineering, at 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm.