Hum Bhi Hain 

Hum Bhi Hai` is the latest production of SEE Theatre Group. It`s an adaptation of Maxim Gorky`s `The

Lower Depths`

. It`s a character driven play which focuses primarily on the surreal nature of characters

and their socio-political surroundings rather than emphasizing on any particular plot. The premise of the

play is the sea side slums of Versova, Andheri but the characters hail from different parts of our country

who are residing here either for many years or for a few years or even for few months. Thus their

accents are according to their place of origin which gives a very unique flavour to the acoustics of the

play at the voice and speech level. It`s not a mere story but an empathic view of the characters of

labourers, socially rejects and so called losers of the society whom John Lennon famously termed as

‘Working Class Hero`

. Incidentally in the play comes the character of an old compassionate man who is a

traveller and is going to stay in the slums for a short while. He gives them hope for better life. Some

characters love him, believe in his stories, some hate him for giving them false hope. This Russian play

was written in the early 19th century. Sadly, it is relevant even now in one of the biggest metropolitan

cities of our country, the financial capital of India,

`Mayanagari`

, Mumbai. In our production we are

focusing on the eternal struggle between capitalism and socialism, exploitation of the economically

backward classes by power addicts, money oriented people and flag bearers of religion. It depicts how

circumstances in their lives have made them so harsh that some of them don`t even fear death. These

people are deligent, hardworking, talented and even intelligent but are living the kind of oppressed life

which is a nightmare for the privileged class. They have accepted their fate and they have made humour,

intoxication, casual sex and abusing an escape route. We have not bounded actors within the four walls

of realism instead we have tried to break the fourth wall again and again in this play. We have used

devised theatre, expressionism, symbolism and dark comedy to communicate the various facets of their

lives or express the conflict between illusion and reality. Our group of young blood and seasoned artists

aims to explore this neglected class who are constantly moving, running and crawling in the circle of

ng in the circle of

comedy and pathos with death serving as the only stillness of their lives