A Dakhni adaptation of ‘Abbe! Em Ledu’, this play is sure to crack you up

A play with chaos, confusions, misinterpretations and a whole lot of comedy is probably what you need this festive season. Taking a cue, Sutradhar presents Ek Se Badhkar Ek, an adaptation of Abbe! Em Ledu, a Telugu play written by Sankaramanchi Parthasarathy. This adaptation in Hyderabadi Hindi, makes use of the Dakhni slang to give it a comic element. “We have added a lot of modern elements, songs and references to political leaders, pop culture and celebrities to make it relatable and relevant,” says Vinay Varma, the director of this play.

The sounds, he says, are symbolic, and play a pivotal role in building the mood and anticipation. For example, they have used the song Golmal Hai Bhai Sab Golmal Hai as the ringtone to denote comic confusion.

The plot revolves around a middle-class household where a couple and a deaf servant reside. The main confusion begins when the wife loses her ring, and has to go on a trip, leaving the responsibility of finding the ring on her husband. As the play progresses, two thieves enter the scene, as well as the husband’s boss, along with some friends of his. Each character mistakes the other characters to be someone else, and this is where the chaos starts. Amidst all this, the ring is also to be found, remember?

It is this chaos, Vinay says, that was challenging to bring clarity to. “Although there is confusion, it must be clearly presented for the audience to understand. The chaos must be directed.” As a director, Vinay’s style is to give more importance to gestures, expressions and body language, than anything else. This, he says, makes the casting process very elaborate. The foremost criteria is the appearance of the actor, “There must be diversity in appearance,” he says, elaborating that the look of the actor must match the traits of the character. He gives an example of the appearances of the thieves—one is a tall lean guy, whereas the other one is a shorter, stout guy, to resemble Laurel and Hardy. This also adds to the comic element.

Talking about the title, Vinay says that each character in the play tries to outsmart the other, hence it is called Ek Se Badhkar Ek.

Nikhil Jagirdar, the actor playing the thief, says that rehearsing with other actors and their reactions to his character helped him build on his character. “I play a very adventurous role; he is someone who wants to constantly try out new things. That was one trait I really resonated with,” Nikhil says.

Tickets at ₹200. October 18 & 19, 7.30 pm. At Nishumbita School of Drama and Badruka College of Commerce.