Aadyam, an initiative by the Aditya Birla Group, is bringing 5 new plays from reputed theatre groups, to coveted venues in Mumbai and Delhi. Rage Productions launches THE SIDDHUS OF UPPER JUHU. This is the second play in Aditya Birla Group's Aadyam initiative that started last month. Directed by Rahul DaCunha, THE SIDDHUS OF UPPER JUHU is the quintessential tale of a city and its people; a city that can drive its people nuts, and through all the frenzy and heartbreak remain unmoved of its citizens' plight.



''THE SIDDHUS OF UPPER JUHU is a devised play that found its roots many nights ago when I returned home around 11 pm to find a bulldozer waiting outside my building. It looked eerily like the BMC had come to demolish. The drilling began around 2 am and went on through the night. After some poking around, I found out that this work would go on for 15 months! Also, they had dug up the wrong road!'' says director Rahul DaCunha.

He adds, ''This is not an unfamiliar scenario in Bombay, a city that now resembles a ghost town. We have no idea who is digging up which road...survival in this city is enraging, not to mention expensive and after all the crores that you spend buying home, you get minimal returns. So it is in this set up that we put a middle-aged couple Bubbles & Behroze Sidd​hu, (Shernaz Patel & Rajit Kapur), a Parsi-Punjabi combo, satirically in a locality called Upper Juhu (which is essentially Andheri). Growing civic issues, neighbour problems and an unrelenting economy threaten to drive the husband and wife crazy, living in their 14th floor sea view flat, where you can't see the sea!''

The play deals with an average middle class couple's struggle to survive in our mad city. It deals with economic meltdown, urban angst,t​he madness of a consumer society and a city that is itself on the brink of nervous collapse.
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''With Aadyam, we as a theatre community can solely focus on the creative vision without worrying about finance and funding. It's the first time that a corporate body has put its weight and money behind a fairly structured, long-term arts initiative. Unlike other countries, here we don't have government support and with each play we're relying on sponsorship, so the circle of funding starts from scratch every single time. With that anxiety out of the way, we can focus on lifting the production values. We are excited to be part of Aadyam's first initiative. Plus with its support, we hope to achieve one of our goals - attracting younger, newer audiences to the world of theatre,'' says Rahul.

​Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao1r4v3-8JM

Premiere Shows at NCPA's Tata Theatre: Saturday, 14th March, 7.30 pm and Sunday, 15th March at 4 & 7.30 pm (Two shows).

About Rage:

Rahul da Cunha, Shernaz Patel and Rajit Kapur started Rage in 1993. The production house has acquired worldwide critical acclaim and success for plays like I AM NOT BAJIRAO, CLASS OF '84, PUNE HIGHWAY and others. In 2000, Rage also staged Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous musical JESUS CRIST SUPERSTAR.

Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule.