A Telugu play on exploitation will take you into a discomfort zone in Hyderabad

Meanwhile, a Telugu play on exploitation will take you into a discomfort zone in Hyderabad Written by CS Rao, and directed by Rohit Raj Akula, Ooru Ummadi Bathukulu has been tweaked with a Telangana dialect to suit the contemporary audiences.

Key points

• Ooru Ummadi Bathukulu to be staged at Nishumbita School of Drama auditorium on August 23 from 7 pm onwards; Tickets: Bookmyshow.
• Rohit, who was born in 1991, jokes he was not even around when the play was staged for the first time in Hyderabad.
• Real life takes centrestage in the play Ooru Ummadi Bathukulu to be staged in Hyderabad.
• The one hour-thirty minute production with instrumental music in the background and nine artistes has a rural setting.
• Rohit who has directed nine plays till now had in fact taken a break from theatre and has been concentrating on creating a script for films.

Real life takes centrestage in the play Ooru Ummadi Bathukulu to be staged in Hyderabad. Written by CS Rao, this social realistic play depicts the everyday struggles of villagers trapped in a feudal cycle of oppression and injustice. The play, set in the 1980s, is relevant even today as rural communities continue to be exploited and face problems, states director Rohit Raj Akula of Dharmi Theatre Academy. The play staged around eight times till now has been tweaked with a Telganana dialect to suit the contemporary audiences. Rohit Raj Akula Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.

For context, the one hour-thirty minute production with instrumental music in the background and nine artistes has a rural setting. Pedda dora and chinna dora, the local tyrant duo in the play do not like each other, abuse power and target the vulnerable. They abuse Sita, the educated wife of Gandayya, an innocent man who sharpens knives and weapons on a grindstone. The extreme exploitation and frustration erupts into a revolt as Gandayya kills the two. "Writer CS Rao calls the tyrants as the two Ravanas of the village, " recollects Rohit, who completes a decade in theatre in 2026.

Rohit who has directed nine plays till now had in fact taken a break from theatre and has been concentrating on creating a script for films. He was lately approached by his teacher DSN Murthy, a retired professor in Theatre Arts at the Hyderabad Central University who wished to see a rooted story on stage. In fact, DSN Murthy had first adapted the story written by CS Rao to the stage and directed the play. Rohit took a major screen pause to pay a tribute to his teacher and additionally celebrate this milestone year with a thought-provoking play.

Realist drama Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.

Rohit, who was born in 1991, jokes he was not even around when the play was staged for the first time in Hyderabad. The debut show had renowned actors Thanikella Bharani and the late Nutan Prasad playing the roles of Pedda dora and Chinna dora. It was additionally produced into a movie and its story has additionally been an M.Phil research subject for theatre practitioner Ajay Mankenpally. "These stories continue to resonate with us as we continue to read media reports on how the vulnerable and marginalised face exploitation."

For now, a Telugu play on exploitation will take you into a discomfort zone remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.