Kathmandu. Based on Nepali writer Jagdish Ghimire’s novel ‘Sabiti’, the play ‘Sabiti: Not Guilty’ will be staged at ‘The Tank’ theater in New York, USA. Actress Swachta Guha of the Bollywood film ‘Lootera’ will play the lead role in the play written and directed by Bimal Subedi.

Nepali origin American actor Nawal Rai and famous American actor Judd Meyers who has worked in more than a dozen Hollywood films are also acting in the play.

Raj Khatri is assisting Subedi in directing, while Ayusha Chhetri Sanjel has done the casting. The play, which has been staged repeatedly in Nepal and India, has been rewritten and adapted for New York context and targeting the audience there.

Although the original novel presented the story through a disadvantaged male character, the theatrical adaptation adopted its original essence and created a new perspective through a female character. The play critically questions socially constructed institutions while advancing women’s voice and empowerment.

Subedi, a color artist who graduated from India’s National School of Drama in design and direction, is going to perform a play in collaboration with Nepali-American community leader Amit Pratap Shah’s Apan Foundation and ‘The Tank’ theater. The Nepali Consulate General in New York has also been promoting it as cultural diplomacy.

According to Subedi, this play is being staged regularly by New York’s prestigious theater company ‘The Tank’ like other American plays. Located in the heart of New York City, you have to wait for about seven months to get your turn on the stage. However, after seeing Vimal’s work at the 46th Battery Dance Theater Festival, Megan Finn, the director of ‘The Tank’ theatre, quickly arranged for the staging.

He says that Jonathan Hollander, the founder of Battery Dance Company, played a role in making this possible. Internationally famous artist and founder of Battery Dance Company, Jonathan said, ‘I was very impressed while working with Bimal during the festival. I felt that the American audience should also experience his creations. In today’s complex world context, this play is a new beginning of cultural diplomacy between Nepal and America.’

Subedi, who has been active in America for two years, staged the Off-Broadway style musical play ‘Hitler is Coming’ last year in which Nepali actress Varsha Raut acted. However, this time Subedi’s efforts have added a new and proud chapter in the history of Nepali theater, says Dadhiram Bhandari, Nepali Consul General in New York.

According to him, ‘It is a historical achievement that a Nepali play based on the story of Jagdish Ghimire has been given a place by the mainstream theatre. This will strengthen the relationship between Nepal and America by presenting our potential on the world stage.’

Subedi himself is excited for this historic start. First of all, performing a play in America is a great achievement, and having the play in a theater located in the heart of New York is a moment of pride for the Nepali stage. But Bimal believes that the staging of the play will be a solid start as a link to connect the American audience with the Nepali audience.

He says, ‘There are many Nepali students in New York, but the theater here has not fully embraced Nepali drama yet. If this play is successful, that situation may change.’ According to him, the play will be staged in two stages. Under the first phase, the play will start from April 26 and run for a week, after which it will be performed again in May.

After this, there are plans to stage the play in other states as well. Meanwhile, the story film ‘Hiunko Geet’ produced in the US under the direction of Subedi is also preparing to be screened in the Nepali audience and in the world market by the end of this year.