Bhubaneswar: Theatre fans of the City enjoyed a terrific evening Friday here at Rabindra Mandap as the multiple awards-winning Hindi/English drama Dhumrapan left them in stitches. Headlined by versatile theatre and film actor Kumud Mishra, the event was a fundraiser by Bhubaneswar-based charitable organiser Zain Foundation to support people suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder. Written by Adhir Bhatt and directed by Akarsh Khurana and set in the smoking area of a corporate building over the period of a week, the comedy play highlighted how office workers discuss family problems, workplace issues, employee firings, corporate pressure, and workplace competition. Needless to say, the viewers stuck to their seats till the curtains were down enjoying every moment of the famous play. Kumud, also a known face in theatre circle for over 25 years, played the role of a boss who slams his subordinates and penalizes them for anything. The cast also includes Shubhrajyoti Barat, Ghanshyam Lalsa, Siddharth Kumar, Tarruk Raina, Sarthak Kakkar, Abhishek Saha and Ashmita Meghrajani.
Talking about the organiser, Zain Foundation, since its inception in 2015, has initiated plenty of advocacy and awareness exercises, successfully both in the state and nationally, through workshops, rallies, sporting events, and art exhibitions. Gargi Bhattacharya, Chief Trustee of the Foundation said that there is a still lot of denial among people for autism in the country. “They also have right to live freely and we have organised this play to raise funds to support the people suffering from autism.” English daily Orissa POST and Odia daily Dharitri were the print media partners of the event.
