Cuttack: A Sinhali play by Chawdari Kalutara Group from Sri Lanka enthralled the audience on the seventh evening of the 26th edition of the Indian Theatre Olympiad here at Sarala Bhavan on Friday.

The festival, organised by the Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh since September 1, will continue till September 10. The satire used in the plot by humour, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose and criticise the prevailing senselessness or vices among people with politics kept the viewers engrossed. Written and directed by Tharanga Bandara, the play revolved round a story of a patient, who manages to escape from a mental hospital. Produced by Swarnasiri Warnakulasooriya, the play has a protagonist who has studied acting and after falling mentally ill develops a queer excitement in wearing the guise and uniform of others.

At first, he manages to escape from the mental hospital by wearing the doctor's uniform after tricking the doctor into believing that he wanted his uniform to take a selfie. Then he tricks two police officers to give him their uniforms by offering a food parcel and by offering a bottle of alcohol followed by blackmailing one of them about his wife's brothel origin. Then he disguises himself with clothing and becomes a cook in a minister's house and gains access to the prime minister.

"The play can be seen as a bold attempt in form of a socio-political satire to give you an idea about social degeneration, be it humans, authorities, or even government. It also tries to give you an idea about how hollow has man become and how he only deceives his own self at every stage of life," said dramatist Kartik Rath.