On the opening day of Hasyam , a three-day annual Comedy Theatre Festival (CTF)-2023, a thrilling comedy play Bade Miyan Deewane, was staged at the Tagore Theatre in Sector 18 on Tuesday to a full house.

Written and directed to precision by Imran Rasheed (from Mumbai), the theme play is based on Pakistani Urdu author Shaukat Thanvi’s bestselling novel Budhbhas, that kept the audience hooked to their berths for over an hour. The comic presentations evoked thunderous applause from the appreciative audience.

Presented by Rangbaaz Production from Mumbai, the play traces the idiosyncratic demeanour of a filthy rich octogenarian, Meer, who is used to a typical flamboyant lifestyle. His deadly infatuation for a beautiful young girl next door portrays him as the dark underbelly of our society. Puerile as it may sound, the girl whom he has fallen for is the love interest of his strapping young son as well.

Meer, the story further has it, falls headlong in love for his immediate neighbour Sheikh Inaayatullah’s doe-eyed daughter, Suraiya. Meer’s son, Tabish, is also madly in love with her and wants to marry her. He is waiting in the wings to express his ‘true’ love for the girl.

Sheikh, on the other hand, is looking for a compatible match for his daughter, with his eyes fixed on marrying her off to a charming young man and writer, Shaukat in the neighbourhood, who is known to both Meer and Sheikh.

Shaukat, who is a die-hard well-wisher of Meer, wants to persuade him from squandering his wealth on two courtesans of the region – Heera and Gulab – and return to his austere life back in the day. Meer wants Shaukat to chip in and coax and cajole Sheikh into accepting him (Meer) as his daughter’s soulmate. Sheikh on the other hand, wants Shaukat to help him caution Meer desist from indulging in amorous advances towards his daughter.

As a result of the ongoing tangle, Shaukat gets caught up in a whirlwind of vicissitudes that ends up in an utter state of confusion, misunderstanding, and, of course, a streak of jealousy playing out, leading to a series of farcical situations events that follow, leaving the audience in splits!

The 3-day-long festival, being organised by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh Administration and the Tagore Theatre Society, Chandigarh, comprises three comedy plays, featuring prominent theatre legends from other parts of the country.

The plays that are slated for stage performance on April 26 and 27, include Udhar Ka Pati and My Wife’s 8^th Vachan respectively.

The daily play timings are from 6:30 pm onwards and entry to the mega show is for free.

(The writer , Ramesh K Dhiman, is a former staffer of The Tribune and freelance writer. He has written extensively for leading newspapers and magazines on art, culture, mythology, besides travelogues.)

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