Double Deal: top thriller

The wait for theatre aficionados will end on June 27 when NPA Events, known for bringing quality theatre shows to Muscat, will stage edge-of-the-seat thriller Double Deal, starring two noted artistes Mahesh Manjrekar and Sandhya Mridul.

"We have brought plays of different genre but this is the first time we are bringing a high quality thriller to the city," said Ashok Suvarna, Executive Director, NPA Events.

Manjrekar and Mridul, celebrated television and cinema stars from India, have performed the play over 25 times worldwide, including shows in Dubai.

This English play, directed by Mahesh Dattani and produced by Ashwin Gidwani, will be staged on June 27 2008 at Le Grand Hall, Al Falaj Hotel. The show starts at 7 pm.

Double Deal, an adaptation of Killing Time by Richard Stockwell, starts with an encounter between Jeet and Rhea in a shopping mall. She has lost her purse, he helps her to pay her to bill and a friendship develops.

What starts off as an innocent encounter between strangers turns out to be a roller-coaster ride of deceit and betrayal. Crimes and misdemeanours of the past turn the present into an impossibly bizarre battle over money.

The play is a return to stage for Manjrekar, who made waves by directing films in entirely different genres, like Vaastav, about a criminal, and Astitav, about matrimony.

"I did Marathi language theatre from 1975 to 1993 before entering the world of Hindi cinema as an actor-director. Double Deal excited me because it gave me a chance to get back to theatre," said Manjrekar.

Upcoming Bollywood actress Mridul plays the second protagonist. She has acted in a host of Hindi films such as Mr. White Mr. Black, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante, 13th Floor (2006), Naina, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye (2005), Socha Na Tha (2005), Page 3, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II and Saathiya.

She has also appeared in the television series Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin Swabhimaan, Kosshish Ek Asha and Banegi Apni Baat.

"Theatre mobilises your whole body and your face. It's a different experience altogether," she commented.