The chaos of Mumbai distilled into a fish out of water play.

No matter how adaptable one thinks they are, moving to a new place is almost always going to take some adjustment. And if you’re ever moving to hustling, bustling city of Mumbai, you can rest assured that you may never really feel stable ground beneath your feet, with the constant chaos and unpredictability of it all.

Written and directed by Shiv Tandan, Fistful of Rupees captures that sense of displacement and uncertainty of moving to Mumbai. Previously having toured India to acclaim, the show recently made its Singapore debut as part of the Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts. With just four black cubes and four actors, there’s an immediate sense of intimacy from the simplicity of the set-up at the Esplanade Recital Studio, and you lean in wanting to hear more.

The semi-autobiographical play primarily follows Raghav (Vidyuth Gargi), who’s recently moved from Singapore to Mumbai, and finds himself wandering the hectic streets of this new city, full of life, energy and terrible traffic, as he seeks to make a name for himself and in his career. Along the way, Raghav encounters various other characters, both expats and Mumbai natives, who share the common goal of finding success in this supposed city of dreams.

Shiv Tandan’s script is packed full of little anecdotes and stories that come together to form a messy but understandable portrait of the beautiful mayhem of Mumbai. They key driving force is its status as a land where anything is possible, so long as you believe in yourself, and are willing to put in the hard work and risk to make it big. Particularly memorable is Vaibhav Kapatia as an older brother-type figure to Raghav, full of energy as he fires off rapid banter that feels like a sales pitch, while his almost mercurial mood when Raghav expresses doubt makes him equally terrifying to watch.

Elsewhere, innovation can also be seen in a three way phone call between Mallika Shah’s character and her ‘parents’. Seated on separate cubes, the space between each seat feels distant enough that you feel that they are almost on their own individual islands, as the tension builds over the course of the call, inviting concern and fears from all sides. One of its most bleak scenes comes in its ending, where we see Niharika Lyra Dutt attempt to take Raghav under her wing, trying to network with potential investors, only to abandon him when he no longer pulls his weight, and leaves him to awkwardly fend for himself at an exhibition opening.

While its message is clear, it is in depicting the madness of Mumbai that Fistful of Rupees also trips up, in how there are so many different stories that it becomes hard to keep track of all the threads going on, feeling like the scenes where Raghav rides pillion and dangerously weaves in and out of traffic. Shantanu Salvi’s lighting unfortunately also ends up too harsh in multiple scenes, perhaps due to the space, and certain washes or spotlights end up shadowing rather than illuminating the characters – good for photography, but to the naked eye, tough.

One feels that while Fistful of Rupees‘ manic setup is certainly reflective of Mumbai life, it requires some degree of directorial elevation to truly bring the script to life. There are times one feels a need to sit within certain scenes just a little longer to really soak in the atmosphere, and while there is a degree of endearment to the many ways the cast utilise the cubes to form various backdrops and leave it to the audience’s imagination, perhaps due to the cavernous space it played at, conversations seem to echo into empty space, making it feel all the more lonely, and lacking the vibrancy the play keeps purporting.

If anything, Fistful of Rupees has great potential, and hits the right notes when it comes to its themes and its all-too-realistic look at life in a modern city. Just like how its title suggests, this is a city that doesn’t just hand things to you, but one where you must fight tooth and nail for what you want, and what that is is often tied to financial gain, where whatever you aim for is never quite enough. The dog-eat-dog world is always nipping at the sides, and that is itself a terrifying prospect to consider, as we wonder how long each of these characters will survive before the city ends up consuming them.

Photos Courtesy of Esplanade – Theatres by the Bay

Fistful of Rupees played from 24th to 26th November 2023 at the Esplanade Recital Studio.

Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts 2023 ran from 17th to 26th November 2023. Full programme available here

Production Credits:

Writer/Director: Shiv Tandan Performers: Mallika Shah, Vaibhav Kapatia, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Vidyuth Gargi Stage Manager: Maanavi Tandan Lighting Design: Shantanu Salvi Production Manager: Ragini Tandan Costumes: Ashima Sharma, Pallavi Patel Visual Design: Saloni Soni