Theatre Review: The Spirit Of Mumbai

CreditsPlay : Yeh Hai Bombay Meri JaanDirected by : Nadira Zaheer BabbarCast : Sangam Shukla, Mithilesh Maihar, Manav Pande, Amit Jairath, Devesh Kumar, Neha Shaikh, Manali Rodhan & othersLanguage : HindiDuration : 120 minutes Rating : 2.5Taking heed from Bollywood flicks like 'Luck By Chance', which portrays the journey and struggle of a small-towner, who comes to Mumbai, the city of dreams with aspirations of becoming a movie star, the latest offering from Ekjute Productions, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, is also a similar tale of ambitions. The play revolves around five guys, Devi Da, Tikam, Rajan, Laxmi and Arif Ali, who share a modest apartment in Mumbai. Hailing from humble families, from different parts of the country, each of them has come to Mumbai with the desire of making it big in the entertainment industry. Someone wants to be a scriptwriter, while another, an actor. But success doesn’t come easy — so during this phase of professional as well as personal struggle, these guys come closer and become thick friends. In the midst of all this, the play celebrates the spirit of the city. Whether it’s the world-famous dabbawalas or the gracious nature of Mumbaikars, the play constantly reminds you that there is a silver lining to living in this city, no matter how much you despise it for its uncontrollable migrants, burgeoning crowd, poor infrastructure or chaos!Unfortunately, what’s surprising is that the play caters to way too many clichés. You have a catholic landlady (with an alcoholic, abusive ex-husband!), who has given her house on rent to a conveniently cosmopolitan group. There’s a Bihari, a South Indian, a Haryanvi, a Muslim, all living together in perfect harmony, an ideal cultural setup. And the stereotypes don’t end there. The South Indian tenant Rajan gets offended, when offered tea and declares that he only drinks ‘coffee’; Arif, the articulate Muslim’s patriotism is questioned by the cops because of his background and so on. Just too predictable.Still, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan has its moments, especially when the group of friends go out of their way to help one another, be it financially or otherwise. And the chemistry and humour between the five men is very real and believable. A play with a heart and one that cherishes Mumbai, this one’s an ode to the city of dreams.