The city’s theatre circuit will see the premiere of a new English-language comedy, Carry On Spying, written and directed by veteran theatre-maker Bharat Dabholkar and presented by Paritosh Painter under Ideas The Entertainment Company. The production opens on Friday, 10 October at 8:00 PM at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra, with a second premiere show on Saturday, 11 October at 7:30 PM at Balgandharva Auditorium, Bandra.
Billed as a fast-paced farce, Carry On Spying combines satire, mistaken identities and physical comedy against the backdrop of international diplomacy. The story unfolds inside an Indian embassy in a fictional Asian nation “behind the Iron Curtain”, left in the hands of Pyare Mohan Dixit—the overconfident son of the Ambassador. The plot takes a chaotic turn when a Gujarati tourist family, the Patels, accidentally wanders into a missile-testing zone and is mistaken for a team of foreign spies.
What follows is a chain of comic misunderstandings featuring a flamboyant oil tycoon, a Bond-style police chief, a power-hungry assistant and a cook-turned-magician who has been hiding in a cupboard for six years. The narrative blends classic British-style farce with Indian humour, leading to frantic escapes, identity swaps and even a budding romance.
The production features an ensemble cast including Ananth Mahadevan, Tannaz Irani, Suresh Menon, Vikas Patil, Charmy Kelaiya, Mohan Azad, Dr. Deepa Bhajekar, and Bharat Dabholkar himself in an acting role.
Behind the scenes, the play is written and directed by Bharat Dabholkar, presented by Paritosh Painter, and produced by Sejal Painter. According to the creators, the play is designed as “a laugh-a-minute rollercoaster that celebrates India’s sense of humour” while revisiting the energy of traditional English farce.
Tickets for the premiere shows are available via BookMyShow and at the respective venue box offices.