Boo Katherine - Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Chauhan Thusitha Jayasundera Clerk of the Court Mariam Haque Defender Esh Alladi Prosecutor Chook Sibtain Judge C. K. Dhiran Pal Aron All other parts played by members of the Company Director Rufus Norris Designer Katrina Lindsay Lighting Designer Paule Constable Sound Designer Paul Arditti in order of appearance Sunil Sharma twelve Deepak Rai aka Kalu fifteen Manju Waghekar Ashas daughter, eighteen Abdul Husain maybe sixteen Asha Waghekar Raja Kamble Mahadeo Waghekar Ashas husband Rahul Waghekar fifteen Zehrunisa Husain Abduls mother Kehkashan Husain Zehrunisas daughter, nineteen Karam Husain Zehrunisas husband Sub-Inspector Shankar Yeram aka Fish-Lips Officer Nagare Fatima Shaikh aka One Leg Mirchi Husain Abduls brother, fourteen Meena Chinnu fifteen Airport Director Cynthia Ali a neighbour Officer Kulkarni Laxmi Chinnu Meenas mother Noori Shaikh eight Abdul Shaikh Fatimas husband Poornima Paikrao Special Executive Officer The Guard The Master Taufeeq Judge P. M. Chauhan Clerk of the Court Defender Prosecutor Judge C. K.

Dhiran Dealers, Pickers, Doctors, Police, Guards, Prisoners, Detainees, Neighbours The play is set in and around Annawadi, Mumbai, 20082009 1.1 A bare stage, epic. Its a maidan, as yet undefined. Abdul Husain comes on. He is in his late teens, wiry, sullen an old man of a boy. He has a matchstick between his teeth. Behind him there is a huge mound of mixed rubbish and a rusty pair of scales hangs from a roof.

Sunil Sharma arrives. Hes twelve, cheerful, very short, with a thick upward pelt of hair. He carries a large sack of rubbish. He speaks directly to us. Sunil Know what I want? I want cotton buds. I want ketchup packets.

Because silver paper is good. Chocolate. Cigarettes. Cigarette packets. Umbrellas. Cardboard. Plastic. Batteries. Shoelaces. Metal. Metal.

Problem: theres always a wall. Wherever you go, youll find a new wall. With barbed wire, or bottled glass. All the time, new guards, new dogs, new guns. Theres a lot of good stuff in the world, thats why theyve electrified the fences. Whos been to the airport? Mumbai airport? Anybody? Its not just that rich people dont know what theyve got.

They dont even know what they throw away. They dont notice. We notice. The airports bigger every day. Thats why theres more of us. Picking garbage.

Me, Im always searching for a place. I dont know where it is, but I know its there. Beyond Airport Road. It must be. Somewhere, theres a place full of rubbish no one else has thought of. 1.2 At the back of the stage a concrete wall, covered by sunshine-yellow ads for Italianate floor tiles.

Along its whole length, the repeated words BEAUTIFUL FOREVER BEAUTIFUL FOREVER BEAUTIFUL FOREVER . At once Sunil is joined by Kalu, who is fifteen, on a motorbike, in camouflage cargo-pants, dark-skinned, with long, lank hair. Abdul is sorting his pile of rubbish. Kalu Sunil, are you coming out? Are you coming out with me tonight? Sunil does not answer. Whats happening, man? What, you dont want to make money? Sunil I want to make money. Kalu Then why arent you coming, man? You want to pick plastic all your life? Sunil smiles in anticipation.

Sunil Kalu, do Om Shanti Om. Kalu No. Sunil Please. Kalu Come out with me, Ill do Om Shanti Om. Fuck, Ill do Bhool Bhulaiya. Ill do King Kong.

Ill do fucking Bruce Lee if thats what you want. Ill do the whole lot if youll just help. Kalu looks a moment. Then he does a beautiful brief parody of Deepika sashaying in Om Shanti Om . Well? He shakes his head. Oh I see, so youre scared, are you, man? Sunil Im not scared.

Kalu Scared of ghosts? Sunil Im not scared of ghosts. I go out at night. Kalu Its sitting there. The stuff is sitting there, man. In the recycling bins. Sunil How did you find it? Kalu I have contacts.

They told me where it was. Sunil They told you? Somebody told you where to find metal? Why would they do that? Youre lying, man. Kalu Its over by the airport. Where they fix the planes. Up over the wire and were in. Sunil finally tells him the reason.

Sunil Kalu, you look like a thief. Kalu I am a thief. Sunil They can tell. The airport people can tell. They take one look in your eyes. Once you get a thief-face youre finished.

I dont want that face. Kalu What about you? You look like a runt. You look like a stub. How can you bear being so small? Sunil My father was a picker. Im a picker. Thieves are different.

Kalu Tell you how were different. We make a living. Thats how were different. Theres no future in plastic. Metal thats where the money is. Tonight, Ill do the job, then Ill go to Noodle-wali, eat chilli chicken and rice.

Isnt that what you want? To eat chilli chicken and rice? You really saying no? Abdul looks up. Abdul Hes saying no. Kalu Abdul youre a prick. You handle stolen goods all day, but you dont have the balls to go and get them. Abdul Im not a picker. Sunil Yes. Sunil Yes.

But Im a garbage picker. Im not a thief. Kalu gets on his motorbike and goes. 1.3 Sunil opens his trash sack to check its contents. Manju Waghekar is in line, with a pail of water. Behind, a queue of women with buckets at a spluttering standpipe.

Manju is tall, poised, eighteen, at ease with her beauty. She speaks to us. Manju Mrs Dalloway. I dont understand it. Its a book by the English writer Virginia Woolf. Do you understand it? Who are these people? What do they do? I know nothing of these people.

I try to read it. Clarissa goes out to get flowers. Later she gives a party. Im trying to learn it, thats my only chance, Im going to learn it by heart. From offstage, the sound of Manjus mother, Asha, calling for her. Asha ( off ) Manju! Manju Its not easy.

When I read, my mind slips down the page. The First World War, I know about that, Ive heard of that. But the rest. And like why she wrote the book, why we should care. Asha ( off ) Manju! Manju In books Ive read before, theres always a story. Im looking for a story.

Asha ( off ) Manju! Where are you? Come here. Whats happened to you? Manju If there were a story, it would be easier to learn. 1.4 Sunil goes over to Abdul with his sack. Sunil Abdul. Abdul Sunil. Sunil Are you going to weigh it? Abdul takes the sack and puts it on the scales.

Theres enough here we can go to the video parlour. Abdul says nothing. Abdul, you have to do something besides work. Come play Bomber-Man. Come play Metal Slug Three. Abdul If I dont work the family dont eat.

Sunil Youre making more money than any of us. Everyone knows. The Husains are doing well. Abdul pulls out a sheaf of rupees. Hey, put it on again, I didnt see. Abdul But I saw.

Sunil Yeah. But I didnt. Abdul reluctantly puts the bag back on the scales. Meanwhile: You never have fun. You never get high. Abdul I work.

Theres eleven in my family. Thats what I do. What do I tell you? Whats the first rule? What is it? Sunil / Abdul ( mockingly, together ) Keep your head down, keep out of trouble Sunil So you keep saying. Abdul Keep out of trouble. Its the only rule. Sunil Youre too cautious.