‘Dhummas’, the latest play from well-known producer Mayank Mehta, the creator of Marvel Arts, was the winner of the Best Drama award, among all the Gujarati plays released during 2019, at the Transmedia-Chitralekha Awards held recently. This is the third time that Mehta has been felicitated with awards for his Gujarati plays.

‘Dhummas’, written by Anshumali Ruparel, was also honoured with the Best Actor award, which went to Linesh Phanse and the Best Director award, which went to Kamlesh Mota, at the same ceremony. 

Mayank Mehta is an established name in Gujarati theatre. His remarkable Gujarati productions over the last three decades have helped carve a niche for himself and his highly-respected banner, Marvel Arts. 

Beginning with his first play ‘Master Plan’ in 1991 till ‘Dhummas’ in 2019, Mehta has been entertaining Gujarati audiences not only in Mumbai or Gujarat but also in various parts of India and also abroad.

Some of his highly successful superhits include Gujarati dramas such as ‘Aatam Vinze Paankh’, ‘Hasataa Ramataa Saav Achaanak’, ‘Gujjubhaie Gaam gajaavyu’, ‘Sansaar chhe Rang rangeelo’, ‘Best of Luck’ etc which has successfully completed 200-250 shows each.  

Mayank Mehta has also produced a Hindi play ‘Yeh kyaa ho rahaa hai’ and an English production, ‘The pussy and the three blind mice’ under the Marvel Arts banner.  He also produced a Hindi Serial ‘Jai Hind Society’, starring celebrity artists such as Moonmoon Sen, Shiba and Nagin fame Sangeeta Ghosh. However, his forte has always been Gujarati plays for which he has won both the hearts of the people and also numerous awards.

These include Best Drama and Best Actor (Tiku Talsaniya) for ‘Gujjubhai….’ some years ago, and ‘Virar Fast’, another thought-provoking drama produced by Mayankbhai and directed by Kamlesh Mota which also won three awards, for Best Drama, Best Writer (Prayag Dave) and Best Actor (Dilip Darbar) at Transmedia-Chitralekha Awards in 2017. 

Dhummas, which stood apart from other plays last year, is a well-scripted play that revolves around Dr. Vikram Mehta, a renowned psychiatrist who faces his worst fears when his young daughter is kidnapped to get him to help reveal the secret which is locked in the fractured mind of Kesar,  the other key character. The plot gets deeper as the doctor races against time to unlock the mystery that Kesar, a traumatized teen whose past engulfs the present of both herself and the doctor. The emotional roller-coaster with its twists and turns proves to be a real thriller.

Mayankbhai said that he under the Marvel Arts banner, is working on some forthcoming productions that he believes will take the Gujarati stage by storm by end May 2020.