Overcoming addiction, one play at a time

The troupe includes children recovering from drug abuse and alcohol addiction, and girls, who do menial jobs to survive. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Street plays around social issues are common in India, but what sets Mumbai-based Young Creative Production apart is the fact that their actors are children from the slums, recovering from drug abuse and alcohol addiction. Started in 2008 under the name Jannat Media, by actor, director and writer Nizamuddin Shah and co-founded by fellow actor, filmmaker and concept artiste Tanvi Patankar, the production company was rebranded this year.

Shah, who used to live in Wadala, first noticed that his friends and many children around his neighbourhood were alcohol dependent. They also faced acute water shortage in their area. So, he decided to try and help wean them off alcohol through a play around water conservation, and got them to participate in it. This is how he put up his first play, Ek Boon Jivan Jeene Ke Liye, in 2008. To his surprise, the children enjoyed it. "I didn't intend to take this forward, but when I saw the change and how it helped them take their life in a different direction, I decided to continue," says Shah. His production company not only includes children on the path to recovery, but also young girls from the slums, who do menial jobs. They have successfully trained over 200 children and performed over a 1,000-plus plays.

The theatre company was first launched in 2008 by actor, director and writer Nizamuddin Shah and co-founded by fellow actor, filmmaker and concept artiste Tanvi Patankar

The troupe covers a plethora of social issues, such as rape, environment conservation, the LGBTQiA+ community, literacy, domestic violence, menstruation, COVID-19, Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, among others. "Our motto is to imbibe a sense of creativity in the minds of these young children, so that we can give a direction to their life," says Shah.

One of the biggest challenges that his troupe faces is harassment by the crowd. "Since we do street plays, we can't control the crowd and we often have people cat-calling girls." Some people, he says, have even pelted stones and thrown water at them. "Street plays have no value or respect in our country," he says. Making it worse is the fact that there are no designated places for artistes to rehearse.

Another misconception, which he wants to clear about street plays, is that they aren't made overnight. Many people contact them demanding that they put up a play within 24 hours. But, rehearsals take anywhere between two and three weeks. "I feel street plays are like the army of the nation because whatever we say, people will listen and it's our responsibility to make sure that what we say is correct."