Woody Allen's 'Side-Effects' back in town

Did you miss the staging of "Side-Effects" last time in the capital? Here is an opportunity to catch up on the Saleem Shah-directed play, which is coming here once again at the weekend.

Inspired by Oscar-winning Hollywood director Woody Allen's three wittiest stories -- "The Lunatics Tale", "Retribution" and "Remembering Needleman", the Indian adaptation of "Side-Effects" will be staged Saturday and Sunday at Alliance Française in the capital.

"This is the third show of the play in Delhi and we have not performed it elsewhere till now. The opening show was on May 25," Shah, who has directed it, told IANS in an email interaction.

He has teamed up with Vishal Singh for the one-hour-and-20-minute English language play.

Talking about his endeavour, Shah said: "The aim behind the adaptation was to let the people know of the wonderful style of writing of Woody Allen. His black humour, his description etc. are a class apart and surprisingly it has not been attempted to be staged."

He has made certain changes in the original.

"I have made changes like names of the characters, references etc. to suit the Indian setting," he said.

Shah said that Allen, also a writer, actor and playwright, is known for drawing inspiration from his love life and women psychology and is one of the funniest writers today.

He is confident that "Side Effects" will be a real treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering it.