LUCKNOW, Nov. 21 -- A comedy, 'Clown - The Vidushak', was staged at the Sant Gadgeji Maharaj Auditorium of UP Sangeet Natak Akademi on Thursday. It was part of the two-day music and drama festival organised in collaboration with Shivanjana Studios on the occasion of Bharatiyam Sanstha's 35th Foundation Year. The play was written by VV Shirwadkar and is inspired by Charlie Chaplin. It was directed by veteran theatre director Puneet Asthana. The central character of the play, Bholaram, is a waiter in a bar and, as a sensitive and kind-hearted person. On the other hand, the play also focuses on a strict industrialist Raj Bahadur, who, although he has crores of rupees, is completely insensitive to the workers in his factory. Even when a worker dies in an accident at the factory, he refuses to pay compensation. Raj Bahadur's wife leaves him for America with another man. Raj Bahadur wanders aimlessly, ending up in one bar or another. One day, he meets Bholaram whose simplicity and innocence so impresses him that he not only befriends him but, in his drunken state, appoints him as the deputy manager of his company and asks him to come to his office the next day. When Bholaram arrives at his office, Raj Bahadur refuses to acknowledge him and pushes him out. Meanwhile, Bholaram meets Anjali, the blind young daughter of a worker killed in a factory accident and he obtains a compensation check from a drunk Raj Bahadur. Using the money, Anjali gets her eyes treated and regains her sight. She later falls in love with Bholaram, who sympathises with her but avoids her due to his impoverished circumstances. Anjali discovers the truth and ultimately succeeds in winning her love. The aim of the play, trying to depict that a good-hearted person always comes up trumps in the end - just like Charlie Chaplin - went well with the audience. Bholaram, Raj Bahadur and Anjali were played by Keshav Pandit, Rajeev Ranjan Singh and Pooja Singh, respectively. htc...