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It’s a dream run. After more than 1,065 shows in cities across India,Hai Mera Dil continues to be staged and brings smiles on the faces of thousands of theatre lovers. This time,it was the Chandigarh audience who got to laugh with the cast of the longest running play in the history of Hindi theatre produced by 35-year-old theatre group Ank and directed by Dinesh Thakur.

The group has staged more than 75 plays,ranging from Greek classics to original acts,adaptations,comedies and historical plays. “It has been a long journey,which has been possible because of Dinesh’s commitment. He has been a mentor and an inspiration,” says Preeta Mathur,lead actor of the group and one of the oldest members,speaking in the absence of Thakur,who is a bit under the weather. She notes that opening the Chandigarh Theatre festival with Hai Mera Dil,on Saturday evening,was a special occasion for the group.

The story revolves around a hypochondriac husband,who is convinced that he is going to die because of a serious heart ailment. He starts planning his wife’s marriage,but his wife starts suspecting him of infidelity. “It’s a life-threatening situation and a sure-shot laugh riot,” says actor SC Makhija,who has been part of the play since its first show. “There is humour in everyday life,but we just overlook it because of our busy schedule,’’ adds Atul Mathur,who has been part of the production for the last 15 years.

The play’s success is also because of the fact that it lends itself to constant innovation and has consistently changed over the years and people identified with the subject,situation,characters and setting. “We have moved with the times,changing the costumes,sets,dialogues,but the core theme of relationships,especially of the husband and the wife has an enduring quality. The play captures life around us in a lighter vein,’’ says senior actor Aman Gupta.

“Ank’s productions are both entertaining and thought-provoking. Each play has a message,which is subtle,yet touching,” says Preeta.

The memorable productions by Ank also include Jis Lahore Nahin Dekhya,which not only depicts the pain of Partition,but also the horrific aftermath of the Godhra riots. “We used slides and music to add to the theme of Partition,terrorism and displacement,’’ says Preeta. When there was a lack of original scripts,Thakur translated works of masters like Moliere,Chekov,Tennessee Williams and Oliver Goldsmith. “We also believe that as a theatre group it’s our responsibility to keep the classics alive. We do many plays of Vijay Tendulkar and are reviving his Kahmosh Adalat Jari Hai,” she adds. Ank’s latest is Prashin Panchali,that has Preeta enacting different characters from the Mahabharat,using Rajasthani and Haryanvi dialects.