Ind-lish play based on Munshi Premchand’s short story performed in Mumbai

With all the grammar rules, homophones, synonyms and more, English can be a difficult language to learn. A new play is hoping to shine a light on the situations that arise in such circumstances. Big B is based on Munshi Premchand’s Hindi short story, Bade Bhai Sahab. The play has three characters — two brothers and the narrator, who’s the 80-year-old version of the younger brother. It is a situational comedy for the audience, says director Ajitabh Sen Gupta.

Instead of performing it in Hindi, the actors will speak in “Ind-lish” or Indian English. Explaining why he chose to use this form of language, scriptwriter Sayeed Alam says, “My grandfather told me that during the 30s and 40s, the medium of instruction in many schools was English. Students hailing from a non-English background would learn the language by trial and error, which often created funny situations. He said that long before Hinglish existed, they would call such English ‘Git Pit English’ or ‘Ind-lish’.”

The reason Sen Gupta chose this play is two-fold — he didn’t want to give the audience a serious play and he believes performing a comedy play is tough. The director says, “Mujhe comedy hi karna hai, main audience ko serious content nahin dena chahta. People are already dealing with so much in their lives, and if I also give them something serious when they watch a play, then what will they really take home?”

This theatrical act marks the debut of Alam’s Pierrot’s troupe’s Mumbai chapter. It is also the directorial debut of Sen Gupta, who is playing the role of the narrator. Actors Faisal Nezami and Raj Kanani will be playing the characters of the two brothers.