Udaan celebrates real heroes with humour in ‘Vyakti Ki Valli’

The common man is the hero of this Marathi play directed by Saurabh Gharipurkar

The curtain goes up this weekend as Udaan Arts celebrates real heroes and their simple joys in the Marathi play Vyakti Ki Valli. The classic Hindi play, adapted by writer PL Deshpande from a Marathi book written by Ratnakar Matkari, focusses on how the common man uses humour to pep up his mundane life. Initially scheduled to be staged in January, the play got postponed due to the third wave of the pandemic It will now be staged on March 27.

Director Saurabh Gharipurkar, also the founder of Udaan Arts, says that the theatre group does three Marathi productions every year in association with Kalabhishek Pariwar, a city-based socio-cultural organisation that works with 300 government school children across Hyderabad. Proceeds from the donor passes of the play go to fund these activities.

Saurabh believes the charm of the play lies in the fact that audiences connect to every character. “The story is a humorous collage of different people/personalities PL Deshpande encounters in his daily life,” he says.

The hero of this human interest play is a common man who lives for others. The two-and-a half-hour-long two-act play showcases glimpses from the lives of 11 characters — including a postman, a school teacher who offers free tuition to slow learners and secretaries of a voluntary organisations,— people who find joy in working for others. Humour also comes out through their activities,” he points out adding, “ Vyakti Ki Valli celebrates humanity and shows that humour and humanity never end. There is humour everywhere, you only need to find it.”

Having rehearsed day and night for two months, the team is excited at the prospect of presenting a live performance.

(Vyakti Ki Valli to be staged at Sardar Patel Auditorium, KMIT Narayanguda on March 27 from 6 pm onwards; Donor Pass and tickets ₹ 1500; ₹ 1000; ₹700; ₹ 500; ₹ 300; ₹200 on bookmyshow.com and at the venue. Contact: 9290013166 )