Kathmandu, Nov. 22 -- Having to choose between saving the mother or the child during a complicated pregnancy is a trope adopted by many movies and plays as their narrative crux. Adopting such tropes simplifies the plot, adding nothing but predictable melodrama.

Directed by Kedar Shrestha and produced by Dayahang Rai, the play 'DhukDhuki 72 Megahertz' revolves around the same theme. However, its layered narrative breaks free from cliched storytelling.

The play opens with the wife (Menuka Pradhan) caressing her baby bump. Her husband (Karma) enters the stage, and affectionate banter follows. The couple shares their views on life, patriarchy, motherhood, and love.

As the conversation unfolds to its depth, the audience learns that the wife...