In the year 2031 BS, Nepal was under the Panchayat rule and the only means of entertainment that could reach out to the public without the state’s intervention was the drama. Even if the fear of state-sanctioned retribution loomed large over dramatists. At that time, playwright Man Bahadur Mukhiya bucked the trend by writing the play Ani Deurali Runchha, which explored the struggle between the ruling class (a Mukhiya of the village) and the working class. The play was first staged in Nepal, after four stagings in Darjeeling, in 1974, and went on to win rave reviews wherever it was staged. So much so, Ani Deurali Runchha has been described as one of the very pillars of Nepali theatre.

The play has now been resurrected, fourty-three years later, by director Jeevan Baral. Ani Deurali Runchha is currently on stage at Shilpee, and director Baral says the drama is as relevant as ever. “It captures the ethos of our society even today, as it did back then,” Baral said, speaking to the Post. “At a time when Nepali theatre is reeling under the acute lack of original plays, we felt it is an apt time to resurrect an old classic. The struggle between the Mukhiya and the servant might not exist today but the same kind of struggle still does, in different forms.”

“Ani Deurali Runchha tells the story of because of how a selfish person’s whims,” Baral went on, “may go on to affect the whole society, a story, which is relatable to all and still very relevant.”

Shilpee’s rendition of Ani Deurali Runchha features actors Niraj Subedi, Loonibha Tuladhar, and Chandra Prasad Pandey in lead roles.

The play will run through June 19.