Once upon a time there was a donkey aka Aladad Khan and he died. But what happens next revealed the horrifying face of administration.
The story of a donkey and the poor common man was told through a satirical play ‘Ek Tha Gadha Urf Aladaad Khan’. The play is adapted from the story by Sharad Joshi, whose extremely wonderful writing brings out the worst face of society through the satirical play of words. The play was staged on Friday at Shaheed Bhavan Auditorium.
Directed by Prateek Sharma it was brilliantly performed by the artists of Pratibimbh Theatre Troupe of Indian Institute of Foredt Management (IIFM). It was the last day of the IIFM annual fest 2019. According to the play’s title, the donkey is a metaphor used for a common man.
The play centers around the 'Nawab' who intends to become popular and famous at any cost. The play opens up with the mourning of Jaggu Dhobi whose dear donkey Aladaad Khan is dead, and the villagers tell the kotwal that a person has died named Aladaad Khan. The kotwal in returns makes this as a huge issue and tells the Nawab that a very well known personality named Aladaad Khan died in their village.
As the Nawab discovers this fact he announces various mega events in the name of Aladad Khan. He then declares a state mourning for Aladaad Khan. Later, Nawab gets to know that it was actually a donkey not a person.
What follows is not only a comedy of errors but also reflects on the present system. It is a comedy that tells the truth through intertwined stories.
The play was much enjoyed by the audiences. Somewhere down the line it brought a huge smile on their faces as they burst out laughing at comical situations, it also somewhere told about the ill-fated situation of a common man. Sensible acting skills along with a good presentation, the play received much appreciation of the audiences.