Onto the Stage – Slighted Souls and other stage and radio plays
Page 74Castle of Despair - A Social Stage Play
Dramatis Personae:
Rajiv: Forty year old businessman.
Ramya: Rajiv’s thirty-five-year-old wife.
Deva: Rajiv’s thirty-five-year old businessman friend
Divya: Deva’s thirty year old wife and Ramya’s close friend.
Rau: Forty year old lawyer and Rajiv’s long lost friend.
Inspector Slesha: Rau’s thirty-year old wife.
Nayak: Fifty-year-old lawyer and Rajiv’s friend.
Dr. Aslam: The Rajivs’ fifty-five year old family physician.
Rangaiah: The sixty-five year old servant at the Rajivs’ house.
Scene – 1
[Curtains Up: The Rajivs’ well-furnished drawing room at the right side with an adjoining bedroom on the left side. A backside opening in the drawing room connects the rest of the backstage bungalow. Rangaiah is seen in the drawing room dusting the furniture.]
[Enter: Rajiv with briefcase in one hand and cell phone in the other tucked to the ear.]
Rajiv: Rangaiah, has Bank Manager Raju called on the landline?
Rangaiah: No, Rajiv babu.
Rajiv: Is Ramya at home?
[Rangaiah goes backstage and Rajiv continues to redial on the cell phone. Rangaiah returns with a glass of water that Rajiv takes.]
Rangaiah: You know you are more than my lost son to me.
Rajiv: Don’t I feel free with you than I was with my father? Why, you are a confident of sorts to me from childhood. But why do we need to vouch for all that now?
Rangaiah: If you don’t get angry I want to say something.
Rajiv: What’s holding you?
Rangaiah: I’m scared of the new Rajiv babuin you.
Rajiv: What do you mean?
Rangaiah: I see you are a changed man all charged up for the pipes project. What’s the need for you to bother about it being a landlord yourself? Moreover, you have a flourishing steel business as well. You know how uncomfortable Ramya betiis about your obsession.
[Enter: Raju with his briefcase.]
Raju: Sorry Rajiv.
Rajiv: Raju,I was really mad with you. Ask Rangaiah if you don’t believe me.
[Rangaiah greets Raju and goes backstage.]
Rajiv: You were not at the bank and your cell is ever engaged.