America Alludu skit bags top award

Vijayawada: 'America Alludu' has bagged the best production award under the comedy category in the competitions for skits organised by Sumadhura Kala Niketan at Siddhartha Auditorium jointly with Mummineni Subba Rao Siddhartha Kala Peetham.

The three-day competitions were organised to encourage theatre, especially the hilarious skits. A total of eight play-lets with different concepts with comic flavour were showcased by production units from Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Chilakaluripet and Visakhapatnam.

'America Alludu' produced by Malladi creations was given best production award with a cash award of Rs 15,000 and also received best script prize for script writer B Ramakrishna with Rs 3000 cash and best actor award for Malladi Bhaskar with Rs 1500 in cash.

The second production was bagged by Young Theatre Organization, Vijayawada for the play-let 'Maro Singaraju Lingaraju' with cash award of Rs 12000. This play-let also received four more awards like best director award for R Vasudeva Rao with cash award of Rs 3000, best music with cash prize of Rs 1500, best stage design with cash of Rs 1500 and also jury award for child character Vishnavi with Rs 1000.

The third production went to the Amateur Dramatic Association, Chilakaluripet for the skit "Aleto Saradaga" with cash award of Rs 10,000. Actress Gudivada Lahari, who enacted the role of Radha in the same play-let has been given best actress award and Rs 1,500.

The special jury award ws bagged by 'Prasannaku Premato' staged by Kalaniketan, Veerannapalem with cash prize of Rs 5000. Consolation prizes were given to Goparaju Vijay for his action in 'Atakekkindi' play-let and to Suman for his action in 'Swamy Kalyanam' playlet.

Though the organizers have taken pains to exhibit good playlets filled with humor, barring fifty percent remaining play-lets could not be performed well due to lack of comedy elements and comic twists.

With a view to encouraging and inculcating the interest in theatre among the youth, Sumadhura Kala Niketan had conducted skit competitions for college students and six colleges have participated.

SDM Siddhartha Mahila College has bagged best production award, PB Siddhartha college students had received second best and Nalanda College won third best.

HVRS Prasad, Pilla Prasad and MVB Vinayaka Sarma were in the judges' panel for comedy playlet competitions and VVN Prasad Babu, DA Sarma and BRS Prakash Rao acted as judges for skits competitions.