Writer: Ramesh Mehta
Director: Sneh Lata Verma
Starring: Mayur Verma
Performed in Hindi

Badde Aadmi: Keeping Up Appearances is a spoof on high society set in present day India and performed in Hindi. The plot pokes fun at folks who go to great lengths to present an image of how they want others to see them. It sends up individuals who have seemingly picked up western customs in favour of their own traditions and way of life.

Mithanlal and his wife, Ratni are sweet-vendors living a comfortable existence with their middle-class life and values. Life has been good to this hard working couple, but unfortunately, they have been gifted with two over-ambitious children, who have acquired the superficial trappings of western ideals. As such, they are always trying to pass themselves off as being socially superior to what they really are.

Things come to a head one day when their son, Kumar and daughter, Indra, announce that their respective fiancées and potential parents-in-law are about to pay a visit. As these courtships have begun by correspondence, the children have embellished their backgrounds and now find that they have to maintain this facade.

They emotionally black-mail their parents into taking part in this charade and set about educating Mithanlal Seniors into espousing a ‘western’ lifestyle complete with a butler, silver cutlery, eating with a fork and knife and speaking English so that the siblings can impress their house-guests with their class and panache.

However, not all goes according to plan as Ratni proves to be a total failure at adapting herself to a memsahib-like behaviour and disaster seems inevitable………!

This delightful comic satire features a cast of 12 including Bollywood and television personality, Mayur as Kumar and Shalaka Ranadive as his sister, Indra.

United Theatres was set up two years ago by Sneh Lata Verma who has had a varied career in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. She has been a writer, director whose work has been produced by All India Radio and Doordarshan (public service radio and TV, India) as well as the many UK based Asian cable and satellite channels including Zee TV & B4U.

To date the company has produced five plays that have toured the UK and this is their first visit to Watermans.

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