Engaging Short Plays with a Twist
Award-winning one-act plays that promise laughter, love, suspense — and endings you’ll never see coming.
What if a simple cab ride in Dubai spirals into a comic psychological duel between passenger and driver?
What if a modern college kid meets a mystery man dressed like a god — and ends up questioning who’s really enlightened?
What if an old man’s Valentine’s surprise hides the kind of heartbreak that silence can’t heal?
What if a game of chess in Kashmir mirrors a far deadlier game being played off the board?
What if being trapped in a small space forces you to confront the emotional foundations of your life?
And what if a kiss turns into a hilarious moral math versus romance debate?
Engaging Short Plays with a Twist brings together six sharply written, delightfully unpredictable plays that mix humor, depth, and revelation with cinematic flair. Each play grips you from the first line, only to pull the rug out from under you by the last.
1. Kidnapped? In Dubai?! — A taxi ride that turns into a smart, funny, and tense tug-of-war over freedom and control.
2. The Complete Truth — A witty, spiritual, and philosophical face-off between a restless youth and a mysterious man in divine disguise.
3. Valentine’s Day — A tender, tragic, and deeply human tale of an elderly couple’s tender romance and the sound of words left unheard.
4. Checkmate — A riveting political thriller where every move — and every motive — could change the fate of a nation.
5. Stuck — A claustrophobic psychological drama that tests the limits of trust, emotion and survival.
6. To Kiss or Not to Kiss — A hilariously awkward adult comedy making you wonder at every step: will they or will they not kiss?
These stories are funny, moving, and thought-provoking — crafted to make you laugh, gasp, and reflect, often all at once within the same scene.
Several of these scripts have already been performed as award-winning stage plays and short films, receiving multiple accolades and festival nominations across India and abroad.
Key Awards & Accolades for these plays
• Kidnapped? In Dubai?! - 1st Runner-up by Audience Poll, 2nd Runner-up by Judges in Short+Sweet International Short Play Competition, Dubai 2011-12
• The Complete Truth - 'Best Indian Short Film' - Indo French International Film Festival, 'Official Selection' - Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival - 2021-22
• Valentine's Day - 'Best Indie Short Film' - SRFA Cannes, 'Official Selection' - Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, Winner - Black Swan International Film Festival - 2021-22, Second Runner-up Best Script - Stagewrite, Dubai - 2012-13, Semifinalist - Short+Sweet International Short Play Competition, Bengaluru, 2014-15
• Stuck - Nominated for 'Best Script - Short Play' and 'Best Direction' for Backstage, Dubai, 2011-12
• To Kiss or Not to Kiss - Semifinalist - Short+Sweet International Short Play Competition, Bengaluru, 2014-15
Directors and producers, each play is compact, impactful, and easy to stage with minimal props. The plays are designed to leave your audience stunned by the twist and smiling at the truth.
If you enjoy clever writing, cinematic storytelling, and endings that make you rethink everything you just read, this collection will entertain, enlighten, and outsmart you.