‘The Last Over’ leaves audience in splits at Tagore Theatre

CHANDIGARH: Suketu Shah’s comedy play, “Last over,” which was staged in Tagore Theatre, left the audience in splits. The production, which was supported by Chandigrah Sangeet Natak Akademi and North Zone Cultural Centre, is a humorous take on the public obsession with cricket in India and Pakistan. The play has been written by Abhisehek Pattnaik and is produced by Coconut Theatre, Mumbai.
Actor Rakesh Bedi, who is noted for his stellar performances in the 90s sitcoms such as 'Chasme Baddoor, Sriman-Srimati and Yes Boss, essayed one of the main leads.The other was played by Annath Mahadevan, who has worked in a number of Hindi films, TV serials and Marathi cinema.
The play, a situational comedy, is about Sunny Arora from Amritsar, India and Zubaina Kazmi from Karachi, Pakistan. The two, who live in London, get married without telling their families. Both are in charge of the catering service of the cricket world cup finals between India and Pakistan, which is to be held at the Lords Stadium in London. Complications arise when their fathers, Nazir Kazmi from Pakistan (Ananth Mahadevan) and Jasjeet Arora from India (Rakesh Bedi) appear at their house unannounced to watch the finals.
The play explores the India-Pakistan relationship, replete with friendly banter, stereotypes and healthy competition, especially with regard to cricket. It is a comedy of errors. While Bedi and Mahadevan hogged the limelight, the two younger cast members, Gunjan Malhotra and Prakhar Singh also held their own. The audience was particularly amused by the dialogues, which were earthy and eminently relatable. The narrative spanned two hours, with a ten-minute interval.