KUWAIT: Keralite expats in Kuwait won the best drama, best script writer and best director awards in the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi (KSNA), a Kerala government cultural wing for music and theater, Gulf amateur drama competition held in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar last month.

The play ‘Murikku’ won the best play award and its director, Suresh Tholambra won the best director award for the drama presented by Nirbhaya Theaters, Kuwait.

Sunil Cherian & Deepu Vellimon

Sunil Cherian won the best script award for the third time in a row for his play ‘Laaj Een’ (Arabic for migrants), presented by Kuwait Natakappadam.

Deepu Vellimon won the special jury award for acting in the play ‘Kayaantharanam’ by Future Eye Theatre, Kuwait. KSNA is a state wing under the ministry of cultural affairs in Kerala, south India. It is the third time KSNA is conducting theater competitions in the Gulf.

The competition in Kuwait was held at the Indian Community School, Salmiya on February 25-26. This year 13 plays - five from Kuwait, five from Bahrain and three from Qatar - were entered into the competition that is hailed as the touchstone for the theater talents among Indian expatriates living in the Arab Gulf states.

The judges are assigned by the government body and who travel to the Gulf States. The awards ceremony is on March 28 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital.