Watch this play to stay healthy

Popular Marathi actor, Prashant Damle suggests you catch a show of Gela Madhav Kunikade, the hilarious cult play, to exercise your lungs and lower your BP. Sachin Tendulkar recommends this play too

There are few Marathi plays, most prominently Sahi Re Sahi, Goshta Eka Lagnachi, Gela Madhav Kunikadeu00a0-- that have attained cult status over the years. Each of these plays has enjoyed over 1,000 housefull shows, and the audience only wants more. "Gela Madhav Kunikade is one such play that hasn't lost its sheen ever since it made its debut 18 years ago," says Prashant Damle, lead actor and producer of the noteworthy play that's set to make a comeback on stage this weekend.


A still from Gela Madhav Kunikade

Like most Marathi commercial comedies, Gela Madhav Kunikade employs slapstick humour and copious amounts of comic chaos to get audiences guffawing. The plot of the play is pretty simple: Madhav is married to two women but both don't know of the other's existence till the day Madhav meets with an accident and a police complaint brings two constables to the two homes where his wives live. The comic timing between Damle and Vinay Yedekar, who plays Madhav's best friend Udhav, is notable. The play is officially two-and-a-half-hours long but invariably shows stretch into three hours and more. "Our first show lasted for nearly 3.45 minutes because of the audience reaction," adds Damle.

In fact, this play has had an interesting first run. The play opened on December 6, 1992, a day before communal riots hit the city. In spite of the riots, scheduled shows of the play continued as planned across the city. "Each and every show saw a packed auditorium. Looking at the crowd, we used to wonder whether the riots were for real or was it just a rumour," recalls Damle, who gained popularity as a comedian with Gela Madhav Kunikade.

While reviving this play, Damle has taken another historic step. The play is being brought back under the banner of Chitralekha Productions, which was run by the late theatre veteran Mohan Wagh (whose daughter Sharmila is married to MNS leader Raj Thackeray). "Chandralekha Productions was known for its quality productions, and I will try to match Mr Wagh's standards," says Damle.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (flanked by actors Vinay Yedekar and Prashant Damle) has watched Gela Madhav Kunikade, twice, and has also endorsed its second coming. "I have seen this play twice and enjoyed it. I amu00a0 happy that it is being revived," he said at an event held to promote the play.u00a0

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