Indian People's Theatre Association stages critically acclaimed play Darindey at Prithvi Festival

Money unites, money divides, and money unmasks. This cliche and bitter truth was all the more emphasised by the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) on Tuesday evening at the Prithvi Festival, being held at the Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, when they staged their critically acclaimed play Darindey: The Villains. The play had been originally written in English by Lilian Hellman and was adapted and directed and by Ramesh Talwar. Legendary film director and thespian MS Sathyu also played a major part in the production, including lights and costume.

Set in Georgia, USA in the early 1900s, Darindey tells the story of a seemingly close-knit family in America's Deep South. But when a Mr Marshall comes in with the proposal of a cotton factory which shall supposedly turn the family into millionaires, most of the family members reveal their true selves. The play unravels into a depiction of deceit, decadence, and the insensitivity of the human mind, where even the illness and death of a husband does not affect the financial nitpickings of the wife.

IPTA held back-to-back productions of the play last evening, both of which played out to full houses. "The play was interesting and I really liked it", said singer Kailash Kher, who was there in attendance with his family.

Rakesh Bedi, a part of the cast, said, "We chose to stage this play even though it is set in the 1900s and that in another country like the USA. This is because this is perfectly relatable to this day, and we regularly get to hear of such cases and read about them in newspapers".

The Prithvi Festival is scheduled to go on till the 16th of November.