Chauthi Cigarette: Exploring Art, Ethics, and the Plight of Writers

Every writer aims to connect with readers and share perspectives, but their work must first navigate a complex publishing system. The play Chauthi Cigarette, also referred to as The Fourth Cigarette, challenges assumptions about writers and businesspeople, opening a dialogue on the conflicts between art, ethics, and money, and questioning who controls content.

Written by Yogesh Tripathi, who was born on June 18, 1959, in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, the play received the Mohan Rakesh Award from the Delhi Government's Sahitya Kala Parishad academy in 2018. Tripathi has written over sixty stage plays, directed more than 20, and had eleven of his plays published. His work has been staged extensively across India and in the United States. He has also received the Spandan Lalit Kala Samman (2021) and the Abhinav Shabd Shilpi Samman (2024).

The play is directed by Rajeev Verma, an architect, town planner, and theatre director trained under the late B.V. Karanth. Verma's honors include the Kala Sarathi Award, the Kalidas Samman for 2022, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2023.

In the director's note, Verma highlights that the play depicts the tradition of ghostwriting, where financially struggling writers author books, scripts, and songs for famous authors to survive. Moved by Tripathi's script, Verma sought to expose the pain and conditions of writers while keeping audiences engaged for nearly two hours.

The production is associated with Bhopal Theatre, founded in 1981 by Ms. Rita and Mr. Rajiv Verma to revitalize amateur theatre. The group's family includes Mr. Rajiv Verma, Ms. Rita Verma, Mr. Shrigovind Sharma, Ms. Madhu Saran, Mr. Santosh Saran, Mr. Pratul Singh Hazari, Mr. Shiladitya Verma, Mr. Tathagat Verma, and Ms. Purvi Verma.