In 1942, Singapore was under the shadow of the Japanese Occupation. Amid fear, scarcity, and uncertainty, ordinary people performed extraordinary acts of courage. Now, Agam Theatre brings those untold stories to life in Mission Malligapoo, a riotous dark comedy that celebrates resilience, multiculturalism, and love in all its forms. Presented as part of the Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts, and directed by the award-winning duo Subramanian Ganesh and Karthikeyan Somasundaram, this play promises laughter, heartbreak, and reflection, proving that humour and hope can thrive even in the darkest of times.

“To be honest, we had already wanted to do this play about ten years ago, when we were still very young,” Ganesh says of the play’s origin. “This play has always been close to our hearts. Around 2015, for SG50, we did a biographical play about the founder of Tamil Murasu, and that was when we realised that there were so many people who contributed to Singapore’s growth, people who arrived as early as the 1830s, were not celebrated. Without them, there is no Singapore.”

Karthik adds, “Back then, we all knew certain things about the Tamil community, but when we looked at the history books, many people connected to Tamil Murasu weren’t even mentioned. We wondered: Why aren’t we celebrating all these ordinary men who did extraordinary things? That’s how this concept began ten years ago – these names lost to history who had actually saved the day.”

But the two were also cognizant of how we felt we weren’t ready yet, and kept the idea percolating. When it was raised again, both artists had further developed their theatremaking capabilities and established themselves, and finally, were capable of telling this story, melding patriotism with dark comedy that paid tribute to these these unsung heroes. Many drafts later, and Mission Malligapoo was finally born.

“The first logline Ganesh came up with was ‘six elders saving the day,’” Karthik recalls. “Immediately I thought – we shouldn’t cast young actors just for the sake of it, and in fact, bring in older actors too. Many of these seniors were our role models from Ravindran Drama Group, so we were excited to cast them. And then during the research process we kept asking: What is patriotism? What is identity? Was there brotherhood between communities during the Japanese Occupation, or did that only come after? How did people view migrants? We realised we couldn’t explore all this in the context of Singapore with only a Tamil-speaking cast. We needed other Singaporean voices, hence the multicultural cast.”

The cast of Mission Malligapoo thus comprises some of the most well-respected actors in the industry, including Awad Salim bin Ramli, Chee Yuan, Eleanor Tan Geok Kim, Jasmine Kuah, Kalah Rajesh Kannan, Mohan Vellayan Ponkumaran, Selvam Raguvvaran Naidu, Rohshini Thiagarajan, Thiruselvam, Sabarna Manoharan, Seshan Veerappan, and Veeraraghavan.

Seeing as the Japanese Occupation is a delicate subject, Karthik explains their careful approach towards it. “One of our artists had a father who lived through that period, and we could see how she reacted during the research and devising process. That’s when we knew: we have to approach this carefully. I don’t think I’ve ever read this many books or archival materials for a production. The more we read, the more we discovered, and the more excited we became. This is a meaty project, and we had to do it properly.”

“The process was also very different this time,” Ganesh explains. “Usually the playwright writes, Karthik influences it, we bounce ideas around. For this one, Syed (Ashratullah) and Karthik were co-writers; Syed handled research and factual groundwork, and Karthik shaped it into a play. Rehearsals often started with 45 minutes of standing in a circle discussing a scene, and then the script would change with all the feedback we got.”

“Once rehearsals began, actors brought in research from their own communities and cultures. We realised we had been looking at things only from our own perspectives. With every new input, the draft kept evolving. The process became very different from doing an adaptation, much more dynamic and layered. It became a united effort, all driven by love for Singapore. New actors, experienced actors, everyone came together passionately for the sake of the play’s success,” says Karthik.

Collaboration extended even beyond the cast. Karthik shares, “Ganesh and I decided designers and technicians should be part of the creative process from the beginning. Set designers, multimedia artists, the technical manager, they all came in early. They contributed different angles to approach each scene. It changed the whole process. It felt like healthy competition, and it enhanced the final product.”

Ganesh adds, “There was so much responsibility everyone took on, and we wanted to show gratitude to those who lived through that period. This isn’t just a multicultural cast; even our designers come from everywhere; we have Lim Keng San from The Green Mansion, Alberta Wileo from Animal Farm, and our multimedia team from Hologrix plays a crucial role, where we’re even experimenting with holographic projection. We have a huge ambition, and we’re honoured to work with the best in the industry who wants to bring it all to life. Everyone came together with no selfishness, contributing ideas constantly. After 20-plus years of directing, this play matured and humbled us.”

What seems to bring the entire team together, in spite of their differences, is the play’s key message and universal theme of love. Karthik picks up: “The core of this play is the idea of love; how we view love, and how love functions on different levels: personal, societal, familial. We kept returning to that theme and asked ourselves what the audience should take home beyond a laugh-out-loud comedy. We wanted them to think: What does it mean to live in a land shaped by migrants? What does it mean to love each other? To love your country? To love yourself and your family? The script had to go beyond entertainment, and love became that anchor. It’s what helps people survive tragedy, war, occupation, conflict.”

“Our directing style involves a lot of devising, a lot of exercises, a lot of bouncing ideas around,” Ganesh adds. “With a multicultural cast, that bouncing becomes even richer. It’s definitely challenging, where different people like different things, but with that in mind, it also expands out audience base. With that, we have to ensure the story is both entertaining and understandable. Indian emotional expression is different from Malay or Chinese expression, so navigating that was exciting.”

While part of an Indian Festival of Arts, Mission Malligapoo will be multilingual and showcase culture from all walks of life in Singapore. Says Ganesh: “Our biggest challenge with a multicultural play is language. In the 1940s, would people speak Malay? Tamil? Hokkien? At Kalaa Utsavam, about 70% of the audience is Indian, but this isn’t just an Indian story. We initially had scenes entirely in Chinese and Malay, and others fully in Tamil, but quickly realised some moments were getting lost in the language. So we took creative liberty and used more English for better understanding.”

Karthik continues, “We still wanted it to be entertaining. We didn’t want audiences to feel lost or miss the essence. English became the shared language. One person might speak in Tamil, another in English, but you get used to it. Another challenge was dark humour. What the characters go through might not be funny to them, but the audience may find it funny. Actors had to understand that without playing the humour artificially.”

On the unusual title, malligapoo references the jasmine flower, significant in many parts of Indian culture. “We wanted to come up with a fun and quirky title,” Karthik says. “So we were playing around with the idea of a mission, and it alliterated well with malligapoo. But beyond the sound, it had meaning. In Tamil culture, jasmine has deep significance: love between husband and wife, spirituality, offerings to gods, purity, peace. And it clicked with our story. During devising, more connections emerged: the jasmine is small but powerful, strong-scented no matter where it grows. These qualities parallel the characters in our play.”

And yes malligapoo will also plays a crucial role in the story. Ganesh reflects: “The Japanese Occupation is a very sensitive period for many people. And like the jasmine flower, which grows anywhere, regardless of size, Singaporeans, I think, are like that. We carry on through hardship. We hope that our play has the same effect as National Day when everyone sings the national anthem, and you get goosebumps. Everything can somehow be traced back to the Occupation and how people came together to become who we are today, forging that shared identity.”

On being part of Kalaa Utsavam once again, both Ganesh and Karthik are grateful to the Esplanade for entrusting them with being such a significant part of this year’s programme. Says Karthik: “We’re very grateful to the Esplanade. Even though we’ve produced several shows, we’re still a young company. For them to trust us with the opening night means a lot. As a six-year-old company, this recognition, being able to celebrate Singaporean stories, that means everything.”

“Opening night is always reserved for big shows, and when the Esplanade wanted us to be one of those shows, it was a huge honour for us, and we’re happy for their support,” Ganesh explains. “We’re also the first Tamil-language theatre company in Singapore to stage a show at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre. It gives us an identity and signals that Singaporean stories matter. In the future, we want to tour internationally, and Mission Malligapoo I feel, is a story we can proudly bring overseas. After all, if we don’t tell our story, who will?”

With a multicultural cast, immersive storytelling, and a rich historical backdrop, Mission Malligapoo promises both an entertaining night out, as well as a heartfelt tribute to Singapore’s unsung heroes, their love for each other, and the spirit that helped shape the nation. As Agam Theatre Lab takes their ambition to new heights, bringing new collaborators into the fold, still evolving their creation process and bringing in new audiences, they’re ready to show the world what Singapore Indian Theatre is all about, as Mission Malligapoo makes its premiere this November.

Mission Malligapoo plays from 21st to 22nd November 2025 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre. Tickets available here

Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts 2025 plays from 21st to 30th November 2025 at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Full lineup available here