Bhubaneswar, Nov. 10: Regional language plays staged during the Purva Ranga National Theatre Festival caught the attention of a lot of people in the city.

Hosted by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, the festival witnessed plays directed by popular theatre activists from across the country, staging shows in Bengali, Assamese and Hindi.

A Hindi play by Bollywood actor Raghubir Yadav was presented during the festival. The play titled Piano was adapted from a French play written by Ferenc Karinth.

"My only motto was to make sure that the audience like my play because I am staging it here for the first time. I was really happy to see the large number of people - which indicates that the love for regional languages still prevails," said the actor, known for his role in the film Lagaan.

Parabas, a play directed by Manoj Mitra - a popular actor and director from Bengal - received huge appreciation from the audience. The Bengali play narrates the tale of Gajamadhav Mukutmani, who is facing homelessness after his landlord asks him to vacate the room, in which he has been staying for 36 years.

Ramani Gabharu, an Assamese play directed by Abinash Sarma, and Mohe Piya, a Hindi play directed by Waman Kendre, were also staged at the theatre festival.

The festival was inaugurated with an Odia play titled Amari Bhagaban directed by Manoj Patnaik. Based on the dharma of Lord Krishna, the play highlights how servitors in the name of the Lord exploit human beings financially.

Patnaik said the festival was an opportunity for the artistes to come together and share their vivid experiences. "I got to know a lot of new trends in the field of theatre. Every regional theatre has its own stories to tell and it was a brilliant opportunity for us to come together and explore the same," he said.

Held at Rabindra Mandap earlier week, the festival witnessed a packed audience. "I thought that understanding the language of the plays would be difficult, but I am happy that I was proven wrong. The actors spoke a lot through their body movements and expressions which made the viewing experience beautiful," said theatre enthusiast Monalisa Padhi.

An interactive session and observers' involvement - a major highlight of the festival - was also conducted.

"The audience was given a chance to discuss a host of things with the theatre groups after the plays. This was to ensure that theatre enthusiasts get a chance to share their opinion and also get to know about various techniques involved in the plays," said akademi secretary Dhira Mallick.