Pay us, we will play for you

Group of theatre artists plan musical acts to campaign for various parties; BJP may be first client

Pay us, we will play for you

Group of theatre artists plan musical acts to campaign for various parties; BJP may be first client

"Hame toh loot liya milke hath (Congress) walo ne, cycle (Samajwadi Party) walo ne, hathi (Bahujan Samaj Party) walo neu00e2u0080u00a6" You haven't yet heard this parody of the classic Bollywood number. But if a group of theatre artists, most of them from the National School of Drama (NSD), are to be believed, this spoof will soon become the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poll call.

However, the group of eleven doesn't claim to be staunch BJP supporters. They have allegedly joined the poll fray for professional reasons. Jyotsna, a troupe member, who freelances at the NSD, said that taking advantage of the election season, they wanted to create job opportunities. "Our idea was to script street plays for various political parties and then approach them to hire us for campaigning. This way, we would earn some money and keep ourselves engaged. But now that the BJP has roped us in, we will not campaign for any other party. If we have to, we may form another group for other parties," Jyotsna said.

The troupe on Wednesday visited the central office of the BJP at Ashoka Road with their proposal. It plans to charge the party Rs 5,000 for each skit denouncing the alleged atrocities of the ruling Congress.

The artists also presented a quick demonstration of their act. The skit is based on the hardships faced by the common man under the rule of the United Progressive Alliance.

They highlighted issues like job cuts, Blueline accidents and the bad condition of roads in Delhi. They also had lyrical lines ready on issues like suicide of farmers and unemployment that haunt other states.

"We are not saying that the Congress Party has failed. But what good has their rule done to the country? Today, people are not safe even in the Capital. Women are regularly kidnapped and killed and road accidents have become an everyday nightmare. Street plays can highlight these issues and draw the common man's attention to them," said Amit Suneja, a former student of NSD and the male protagonist of the play. Suneja is also the founder of the theatre group Goriya Navrang Sala Art. Amitabh Sinha, the BJP's campaign incharge, agreed that the troupe's campaign idea was unique. "Though traditional, drama is an effective way of reaching out to the masses. Also, this will keep the art alive. We have asked them to submit a detailed proposal, including the expenditure to be incurred. The final decision will be taken in a day or two," Sinha said.