Najir Hussain, who has acted in various Nepali movies like Bir Bikram, Hostel Returns, Punte Parade, etc, is back in theater with his debut directorial venture ‘The Ugly Duckling’. Khan previously performed as a theater actor and has featured in over 20 plays.‘The Ugly Duckling’ is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen, who is best known for writing children’s sto­ries. Andersen’s stories like the ‘The Princess and the Pea’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’ are classics of the genre.

 

The Ugly Duckling is about a jour­ney of a bird that differs in appear­ance from others in its flock, which makes it an outcast. Confused about its identity, the ugly duckling goes through a difficult phase. But with hope and self-belief, it eventually overcomes the hardship and discov­ers its inner beauty. The play depicts the ways in which people tend to discriminate against those who are different to them. It’s a timeless theme, so although the original sto­ry was written in 1843, the contem­porary audience can easily relate to the plot.

 

The cast includes Hussain, Bikram Shrestha, Milan Karki, Vijaya Karki, Binita Gurung and Kiran Shrestha. The play is being staged at Mandala Theater in Anamnagar and will run till June 3. The showtime is 5:30 pm every day of the week (except Mondays). There is an extra show on Saturdays at 1 pm. APEX BUREAU