Marathi play ‘50 Khoke Ekdam Ok’ to release on Dussehra

The play will be staged just hours before Uddhav Thackeray and Ekanth Shinde-led Shiv Sena take on each other at separate public rallies in Mumbai

Mumbai: Call it satire or a folk play, when a show is titled ‘50 Khoke Ekdam Ok’, you know exactly where it’s going. The catchy title, a well-known catchphrase in Maharashtra politics, is the name of a Marathi production to be staged on Dussehra, on October 12.

Marathi play ‘50 Khoke Ekdam Ok’ to release on Dussehra

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

‘50 Khoke Ekdam Ok’ was the slogan coined by the Shiv Sena (UBT) when Eknath Shinde and his supporters split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022. The Thackeray faction alleged that each MLA who defected and joined the Shinde-led Sena had received ₹50 crore for switching loyalties in a strategy allegedly orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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

The play’s producer, Ashok Harsh, claims the production is “non-political” but admits that it is a comment on political developments. “We have used the folk play format. Although the play does not name anyone, it is a humorous take on the current political situation.”

On the theme of the drama, Harsh said, “Set in the fictitious Tingarpuri kingdom, it revolves around a king, a queen, their Pradhan, and the impact of their decisions on the kingdom.” The writer of play, Jaywant Bhalekar, said they had made some changes on the directions of the state censor board for theatre.

Movies, plays and songs with political undertones have always been woven into election campaigns but they have become a staple in Maharashtra since the 2014 elections. A month before the Sena split in June 2022, a Marathi film titled ‘Dharmaveer’, was released. Based on the life of Sena leader Anand Dighe, mentor of Eknath Shinde, it projected Shinde as the ideological and political successor of Dighe. When Shinde left the party, he had alleged that Uddhav Thackeray had forsaken the Hindutva ideology.

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

Then, last month, veteran theatre personality Ashok Samel, announced a Marathi play titled ‘Mala Kahi Tari Sangaycha Aahe Eknath Sambhaji Shinde’, another biopic of the chief minister.

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

Asked whether the play was indeed a political comment on the bitter rivalry between Thackeray and Shinde, Godbole replied with a touch of intrigue. “What is ‘50 khoke’ in our play and what comes out of those khokes will surprise viewers,” he said.