Artistes stage Mankada on the 33rd Foundation Day of Manana drama festival at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 15: Interesting performances and plots have made the ongoing drama festival by Manana Natya Sanstha just the right affair for theatre lovers in the city. In the last two days, two plays were staged at the festival, which began on Monday.

The opening play of the festival was Anartha, a thriller with plot twists, which was written by Birendra Bebarta Pattnaik and directed by Manoj Pattanayak, the president of Manana Natya Sanstha.

The artistes put up a good show in the drama that displayed the treacherous aspects of human nature.

Businessman Biswamohan loves his son Pappu very much. However, his son is kidnapped and a huge ransom is demanded. His wife and family members persuade him to pay the money and get Pappu back, but Biswamohan takes his time to choose between money and his son.

The family members are devastated by the news of the kidnapping and Pappu’s grief-stricken grandmother passes away. Cops torture the innocent driver of the family on grounds of suspicion. However, the viewers were left surprised with the culprit of the kidnapping — Pappu himself.

“The story was captivating as was the acting. This is the true reflection of the unpredictability of human nature,” said viewer Binapani Routroy.

On the second day, the artistes of the play Mankada impressed the audience with their acting skills and presentation. The actors from Uttarayani Club, Jatni, gave effortless performances to showcase the tale of a small boy who has a unique perception of everything that is going on around him. However, he is thought to be unruly by his parents.

The viewers became anxious as the boy left his home and climbed a train. The story had humour as well and a good plot. Director and writer of the play Bilpab Keshari Satpathy had tried out various experiments with the stagecraft and interactive acting of the performers.The five-day festival has entered its 33rd edition and will continue till February 17.

“We have invited theatre troupes from all over the state to this festival, which has been organised to observe the foundation day of Manana Natya Sanstha,” said Pattanayak.