Youth theme promises exciting fare in Pune

The stage is set for the two-day final round of the annual inter-collegiate one-act play competition, Purushottam Karandak, in which nine city colleges would vie for the top honours.

The competition, beginning September 17, is known for giving a platform to amateur actors, some of whom have become outstanding thespians, directors and playwrights. The event is organised by the Maharashtriya Kalopasak. The contest will be held at Bharat Natya Mandir from 9 pm to midnight.

Fifty-one colleges took part in the preliminary round. The results of the final will be declared on Sunday night.

College campuses are abuzz with excitement, as their teams are busy rehearsing their plays. This year, most of the plays revolve around youth-related subjects and issues like social networking sites, reality shows, love and relationships.

Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s College of Commerce team is staging Logging Out, which deals with social networking sites. The director of the play, Abhijeet Mokate, said it deals with how youth have got entangled with the virtual world created by social networking sites.

The team from MIT College of Engineering would be staging Serial Killers. According to the team, the play has nothing to do with television serials, but explores a serious and sensitive issue. However, it is not willing to share details of the play at this juncture.

Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT) Engineering College’s play, Emotional Locha, highlights the emotional dilemmas of youngsters through a reality show. A member of the performing team, Mahesh Darda, said the theme is based on youth.

Vadgaon Budruk-based Sinhgad College of Engineering’s Hey There Delayla Hu talks about live-in relationships. Pranav Bhagwat, student representative said the title of the play is inspired by an English song and the play explores immature relationships and tiffs between lovers.

College of Engineering, Pune, is staging Checkmate. The director of the play, Eeshan Bhalerao, said the actors have put in great efforts for a stupendous show.