Marathi play ’50 Khoke Ekdam Ok’ for release on Dussehra | Mumbai News

The timing is deliberate. Ahead of the assembly elections in the state, the inaugural performance of the play will be staged at a theater in Kalyan, just hours before Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde take on each other individually in public rallies in Mumbai.

“50 Khoke Ekdam Ok” was the slogan coined by the Shiv Sena (UBT) when Eknath Shinde and his followers split from the Shiv Sena in June 2022. The Thackeray faction claimed that every MLA who had defected and joined the Shinde-led Sena had received ₹50 crore for switching loyalties as part of a strategy allegedly orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Marathi piece seems to be a clever take on the theme. The inaugural show will be held on October 12 at Acharya Atre Rangmandir in Kalyan, the constituency of MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde. Written by Jaywant Bhalekar and produced by Ashok Harsh, the second show will be screened on October 13 at Shivaji Mandir, Dadar, the birthplace of the Shiv Sena.

The play’s producer, Ashok Harsh, claims the production is “apolitical” but admits it is a commentary on political developments. “We used the folk game format. Although the piece does not name anyone, it is a humorous examination of the current political situation.”

Speaking about the theme of the drama, Harsh said, “It is set in the fictional kingdom of Tingarpuri and revolves around a king, a queen, their pradhan and the impact of their decisions on the kingdom.” The play’s writer Jaywant Bhalekar said they had some changes based on the instructions of the State Theater Censorship Board.

Films, plays and songs with political overtones have always been a part of the election campaign, but since the 2014 elections, they have become a regular feature in Maharashtra. A month before the Sena’s split in June 2022, a Marathi film titled Dharmaveer was released. Based on the life of Sena leader Anand Dighe, mentor of Eknath Shinde, Shinde was portrayed as Dighe’s ideological and political successor. When Shinde left the party, he had claimed that Uddhav Thackeray had abandoned Hindutva ideology.

In September 2024, ahead of the state elections, Shinde supporters released a sequel. Titled Dharamveer 2, it portrayed Shinde as the standard-bearer of Shiv Sena’s Hindutva ideology and justified his decision to part ways with Uddhav Thackeray.

Then last month, veteran theater star Ashok Samel announced a Marathi play titled Mala Kahi Tari Sangaycha Aahe Eknath Sambhaji Shinde, another biopic on the Prime Minister.

Now “50 Khoke Ekdam Ok” promises another splash of color in the election campaign. Deepak Godbole, who is directing the entire production, drew parallels with ‘Viccha Majhi Puri Kara’, the famous folk play by Marathi film and theater personality Dada Kondke, which had a unique political satire. He said, “It has been a while since Marathi theater has seen Gan, Gavlan and Batawani (the traditional folk play format).”

Asked whether the play was actually a political commentary on the bitter rivalry between Thackeray and Shinde, Godbole responded with a hint of intrigue. “What is in our play ’50 Khoke’ and what comes out of it will surprise the viewers,” he said.