Artistes of Uttar Purush stage Satta Pari Michha and (below) Ebam Kiye at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 29: The four-day drama festival organised by theatre group Uttar Purush that began on Wednesday was appreciated by theatre enthusiasts for its satirical plots and witty dialogues. Most of the plays focussed on certain sensitive social issues, which remain a cause of worry even in the 21st century.

The concluding day of the drama fest talked about surrogate motherhood. A section of the society still rejects surrogacy and finds difficulty in accepting the baby conceived in another woman’s womb.

Gouri Mohapatra directed the play and actors Prasanna, Sunil, and Debendra rendered a thought-provoking performance.

Titled Nalipan Rani Kalapan Tika, the play staged on Thursday, depicted how superstitions and social taboos can ruin a happy household. Though the script was not convincing enough, the actors managed to keep the audience glued to their seats with their powerful acting.

The second day also showcased an engaging play Satta Pari Michha directed by Abhinna Routray. The suspense thriller began with the death of the protagonist Amit Mohapatra in a car accident. Amit’s younger brother decides to investigate the accident. Interestingly, Amit returns in the pink of health. The story then revolves around finding out why someone tried to kill Amit. After several twists and turns and a few humourous acts in between, the play finally reveals the culprit at the end. Staging a suspense thriller is never easy, especially when a live audience is keeping a tab of every movement and dialogue, but the director did a brilliant job of holding the suspense till the end.

“All through the play I kept wondering who the real culprit was. The real criminal turned out to be the most unsuspected person in the play. That made the play even more amusing. And I also loved the humour-filled dialogues of the policeman P.K. Panda,” said Preeti Sarangi, a viewer.

Apart from the dialogues and plot, the production house had done a wise job in taking an extra effort in stage decoration and presentation. This added an aesthetic appeal to the play. However, of all the plays, it was Ebam Kiye that won the maximum applause. A satire on the government’s reservation policy was deftly reflected when a politician from the panchayat level, a woman NGO worker and a differently-abled person fight for the only vacant room in a government guesthouse.

However, the privilege of occupying the vacant room went to the pet-dog of an influential political leader. The witty dialogues and the hilarious sequences made the play stand apart from the others.

The ministry of culture, Central Sangeet Natak Academy, Eastern Zonal Culture Centre and government of Odisha supported the festival that came to a close on Friday.