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Stage might: Theatre, comedy to support Kerala
As the nation rallies together to support those affected because of the Kerala floods, Delhi NCR’s arts and theatre community, too, is doing its bit for the State.
Akshara Theatre, for instance, has resolved to donate the proceeds from their next few shows to the cause, including the staging of their popular productions 12 Angry Men on August 26 (4pm) at Canvas Laugh Club, Noida, and Men Will Be Men with stand-up acts by Kishore Dayani and Robin Pupneja at the Akshara Theatre on the same day at 8pm. The collections from shows of play Krishna in Wonderland (September 1, 3 and 8) at this theatre (5pm) will also go towards flood relief efforts.
“We’re hopeful that our audiences will support this initiative with great enthusiasm,” says Jalabala Vaidya, co-founder of Akshara Theatre. “Anasuya (theatre artist and Jalabala’s daughter) has relatives in Kerala and they were saying how awful it was. She was talking to them and was overwhelmed by it. She said ‘let us do this and give all the proceeds to Kerala relief’,” adds Vaidya.
Not just the Capital, but Gurugram, too, is hosting comedy shows that will have their proceeds sent over to the flood relief funds.
Be ready to roll in the aisles with punches like ‘Aajkal family mein sabse zyada izzat uski hoti hai jo weight lose kar leta hai’ or ‘Good thing about taking early morning flight, your face matches your driving license photo’ by stand-up comic Amit Tandon. He will be joined by Neeti Palta and Jeeveshu Ahluwalia at Canvas Laugh Club in Gurugram tonight, for their show Stand-up for Kerala at 4pm. Another show at the same venue will see stand-up comic Manish K Tyagi at 6pm performing for the cause. Tandon shares that when it’s about charity more people come out to support. He says, “While everyone is donating money, we thought if there’s something more we can do. We then decided to do a show. In the process, the word gets out more. Even if anyone doesn’t do charity, in the process (they) end up doing it. We’ll also appeal to them to further donate and are planning to keep a box there.”
“People look for various avenues and ways to contribute, so why not do it with a smile?” shares comedian Neeti Palta, who is set to make you laugh with real-life relationship stories, and hilarious travel horror stories.
Sporting events, too, are being organised in the city. Head to Tricky Taka in Gurugram for a charity football tournament. Cofounder Kushal Sindhwani,
While everyone is donating money, we thought if there’s something more we can do... In the process, the word gets out more. Even if anyone doesn’t do charity, in the process (they) end up doing it. AMIT TANDON STANDUP COMEDIAN
says, “We felt the need of doing our bit to help the victims of Kerala floods by organising a football event in our Gurugram facility. Teams of six players can participate and compete in the tournament. There is no fee; everyone can pay as they want and all the proceeds will go to Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).”