Setting the trap

A stage reading of a Hindi play ‘Jaal’ was organised at British Council Library, Jubilee Hills on Sunday.

The play is written by author and journalist Annie Zaidi and was helmed by Vinay Varma. ‘Jaal’ is about a police constable, Gopal, who lives in Mohagaon village.

He applies for a leave to visit his village. However, he gets approval on one condition that he should investigate the disappearance of an engineer. The engineer works in a large corporate company that wishes to build a dam on the river.

The river is a source of livelihood for villagers and they oppose the project. On the name of development in the village the authorities are in support of the project as they do not want to snap the ties with corporate and on other hand there are villages who are protesting about it. The situation flares-up after the disappearance of the engineer.

The engineer is last seen on the banks of the river and with that every villager becomes a suspect.

The villagers join hands and refuse to divulge any information about that day. Gopal hailing from the same village is seen as an ‘insider’ and is sent by to department to investigate.

The honest constable, with limited sources, furious villagers and pressure from the seniors, tries to deliver his best and solve the case.

The play is not a regular run-around-the-mill whodunit and the tension builds with each scene reaching to pinnacle towards the end.