Rakesh Bedi. Mandel Ngan / AFP
Rakesh Bedi. Mandel Ngan / AFP
Rakesh Bedi. Mandel Ngan / AFP
Rakesh Bedi. Mandel Ngan / AFP

Rakesh Bedi’s two-act monologue where he plays 24 characters comes to Dubai


  • English
  • Arabic

For Rakesh Bedi, playing the same characters never gets old.

For 13 years, he has taken on the roles of 24 characters in his one-man stage play, Massage, which returns to Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre in Mall of the Emirates on April 1.

In the tour-de-force production, the veteran 60-year-old actor effortlessly slips into roles ranging from a sleazy movie director to a woman in distress

"The play is still relevant as it exposes the underbelly of any metropolis. It has a lot of humour in it, which makes such plays evergreen," says Bedi, who made a mark in Bollywood as a funnyman in movies such as Chashme Buddoor (1981) and the television series Yes Boss (1999-2009).

The two-act monologue is the account of Mr Kohli, a resident of a small town who dreams of success in Bollywood but ends up as an assistant to a director of low-quality films.

In his desperation he is forced to become a masseur and meets amusing and annoying clients who represent different facets of Indian society.

Bedi says the play’s enduring appeal lies in tweaking the script to keep it fresh.

“We’ve had a few improvisations along the way to make the play more contemporary but haven’t changed the content,” he says.

“I believe people find it interesting viewing as there is one man holding the attention for two hours.”

In terms of a characters that are audience favourites, Bedi expects the audience to warm to the Indian minister’s peculiar personal assistant.

“Pandey has a bad throat, hardly audible and quite funny,” he says. “I also enjoyed playing this menacing lawyer the masseur meets. All these characters take the story forward.”

Performing comedy on stage provides immediate grati­fication, says Bedi, which explains his near four-decade career.

“Stage has no retakes and excuses, and you instantly get feedback from the audience, which is why it is exciting,” he says.

“It also allows me to travel all over the world, keeps my wits sharp – and doesn’t allow me to grow old.”

• Massage will be staged at ­Ductac, Mall of the Emirates on April 1 at 7pm. Tickets, from Dh90, at www.ductac.org.

aahmed@thenational.ae

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Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09

Appearances 230

Goals 115

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Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

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Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

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A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

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New schools in Dubai
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

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Sarfira

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Brief scores:

Everton 0

Leicester City 1

Vardy 58'

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How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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