Real life is at the center of the drama Uru Ummadi Bathukulu Will be staged in Hyderabad. This social realist drama written by CS Rao depicts the everyday struggles of villagers trapped in the feudal cycle of oppression and injustice. Rohit Raj Akula, director of Dharmi Theater Academy, says the play, set in the 1980s, is relevant even today as rural communities continue to be exploited and face problems. This play, staged about eight times so far, has been added to the Telangana dialect to suit contemporary audiences.

rural setting

Rohit Raj Akula Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The one-hour-thirty-minute performance has a rural setting with instrumental music in the background and nine performers. In the drama, local dictator couple Pedda Dora and Chinna Dora do not like each other, abuse power and target the weak. They abuse Gandaiah’s educated wife Sita, an innocent man who sharpens knives and weapons at a mill. Extreme exploitation and frustration turns into rebellion as Gandaiah kills both of them. “Writer CS Rao calls the tyrants the two Ravanas of the village,” recalls Rohit, who will complete a decade in theater in 2026.

Rohit, who has directed nine plays so far, has actually taken a break from theater and is focusing on creating scripts for films. Recently he was approached by his teacher DSN Murthy, a retired professor of theater arts at Hyderabad Central University, who wanted to see an underlying story on stage. Actually, DSN Murthy was the first to stage the story written by CS Rao and directed the play. Rohit took a break from the big screen to pay tribute to his teacher and also celebrate the milestone year with a thought-provoking drama.

realistic drama Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Rohit, who was born in 1991, jokes that he wasn’t even around when the play was first staged in Hyderabad. The first show featured famous actors Thanikela Bharani and late Nutan Prasad playing the roles of Pedda Dora and Chinna Dora. A film was also made on it and its story has also been the subject of M.Phil research for theater businessman Ajay Mankenpalli. “These stories continue to resonate in our minds as we continue to read media reports of how vulnerable and marginalized people face exploitation.”

Ooru Ummadi Bathukulu will be staged at Nishumbitha School of Drama Auditorium on August 23 from 7 pm onwards; Tickets: BookMyShow