‘The Last Salute’ has a dig at atrocities in Iraq

SD Sharma

Chandigarh, January 21

Motivational speaker Ritu Singal presented a play, ‘The Last Salute’, at Tagore Theatre here today.

The play was conceptualised, evolved and staged under aegis of Bollywood icon Mahesh Bhatt. Appearing in the opening scene, Mahesh Bhatt shared the contents of his letter to George W Bush, former president of America, regarding “the oppressive attitude of jealous super power who ventured to destabilise the progress of developing countries such as Iraq.”

The play was scripted by Rajesh Kumar and directed by Arvind Gaur. It was based on a book by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Zaidi, who made headlines after he hurled a shoe at George W Bush during a press conference.

The play with more than 70 actors was marked with narratives — descriptive and interrogative — which depicted the incidents of violence and torture of Iraqis.

Earlier, UT Adviser Manoj Parida and Lipi Parida inaugurated the play.

‘Taj Mahal ka Tender’

The Tabeer Theatre Association, Amritsar, presented a satirical comedy ‘Taj Mahal ka Tender ‘ during the ongoing Winter Theatre Festival, organised by Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi, at Randhawa Auditorium here today. Written by Ajay Shukla and directed by Amandeep Singh, the play dealt with the pressing issue of corruption in India.