Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

`Reverse Gear' proves a thorough rib-tickler

Staff Reporter

Three-day comedy playlet festival commences

LAUGHING TRIO: A scene from `Reverse Gear' performed at Thummalapallivari Kshetrayya Kala Kshetram in the city on Friday. — PHOTO: RAJU V.

VIJAYAWADA: The three-day comedy playlet festival being organised by Sumadhura Kala Niketan commenced with a rib-tickling playlet `Reserve Gear' staged by the Pedakakani-based drama troupe Gangaothri at Thummalapallivari Kshetrayya Kala Kshetram here on Friday.

Written by Sk. Hussein and directed by Naidu Gopi, it brought to the fore the greed of a housewife Koteswari (T. Lakshmi) who goes to the extent of declaring her husband dead to claim insurance benefits of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Koteswari, who dreams of living an affluent life, gets into the trap of a wily insurance agent (Manga Rao) and cheats the police by claming an unknown body as her husband's and gets all the benefits.

Badrinath (Haribabu) as Koteswari's husband regaled the audience with a wide range of expressions and so did Sub-Inspector (Naidu Gopi) and Yesu (Sk. Hussein), who do the post-mortems to corpses.

The hilarious sequences between Badirnath and Koteswari sent the audience into raptures.

Later, the Karimnagar-based Chaitanya Kala Bharati's `Leela' and the Vijayawada-based Geethanjali Theatre Arts performed `Manasa Kavvinchake'.

Felicitated

Earlier, the organising committee of Sumadhura Kala Niketan felicitated nonagenarian Mikkilneni Radhakrishna Murthy. Gummadi Venkateswa Rao could not attend the function due to illness.

Mr. Murthy lauded the efforts by Sumadhura Kala Niketan for encouraging theatre arts and advised the committee to stage such festivals in small towns and villages to keep art alive.

Veteran film actor Raavi Kondala Rao stressed the importance of keeping the theatre vibrant as it was considered as the origin for television and the tinsel world.

Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar, Mayor T. Sankuntha, MLA Nazir Vali and others took part in the inaugural function.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Surekha set to challenge the Palk Strait
Race for post of CPI city secretary hots up
`Reverse Gear' proves a thorough rib-tickler
Count on screenplay
Surplus water released from Prakasam barrage
Six killed as lorry overturns
Bank staff oppose outsourcing move
Held with liquor
Around the City
In Vijayawada Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu