This high-energy production, set in the slums of Mumbai is centred on a story of jealousy and revenge.
The setting is a shanty town close to Mumbai airport where the inhabitants make a living from sorting through rubbish and breaking into the airport for thieving. One family (The Husains) is relatively successful with a son, Abdul, who is a particularly adept sorter. They are seen by their neighbours as suffering from hubris. The downfall comes when their shack extension provokes one neighbour, Fatima, to set fire to herself, blaming the incident on the Husains.
The local police are painted in the worst possible light. They inflict beatings up and extract bribes to effect a release. Particularly harrowing is the cracking down on the hands of the young man, thereby taking away his power to earn money from sorting. Also within the mix is a money lender - fixer - who provides sexual favours to the police.
Overall, the production, directed by Rufus Norris, is arresting and stays in the memory. So does the basic plot and the impression of the teaming hordes in the cast. The play evokes a life that its audience feels thankful not to be part of and yet conveys a sense of the human spirit prevailing in the worst settings. At the time of watching it, I felt there were too many people on stage, too much happening - but on reflection perhaps this was necessary to transport one into this life.
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