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Directors and actors Nithin Ram and Aakash Prabhakar dive deep into Stephen Adly Guirgis’ explosive dark comedy — blending vulnerability, humour, and street poetry for Indian audiences.
Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Motherf**ker with the Hat is set to electrify Mumbai theatre lovers this month. Directed by Nithin Ram and Aakash Prabhakar — who also feature in the production — the play takes the stage at NCPA Experimental on October 26. Set in the throbbing chaos of New York, it follows Jackie, a former addict trying to rebuild his life after prison, only to have it unravel when he discovers another man’s hat in his girlfriend’s apartment. What follows is a fierce and funny exploration of love, loyalty, addiction, and redemption — a mirror to the messy honesty of human relationships.
For Nithin Ram, directing a play of such raw energy meant confronting both creative and emotional challenges. “One of the early challenges was whether or not we were going to ‘reimagine’ this play,” he says. “Aakash and I talked about it over weeks but at every turn, the idea of adapting it seemed like we would end up with an entirely new play. The play is set in New York but when you boil it down, Mumbai is a city that thrives on a similar pace, energy and an unapologetic madness.” He adds, “It’s like street poetry. It’s fiery and electric. Here the task was never to ‘translate’ that but find emotional equivalents. Emotionally, it demanded a lot from the actors — the play exposes people at their most vulnerable. My job was to build a rehearsal space where that kind of truth felt safe.”
With its provocative title and unapologetic tone, the play doesn’t shy away from language or subject matter. But Nithin believes audiences will embrace its authenticity. “I think audiences will see past the profanity very quickly. The title’s not about attitude — it’s about authenticity. These characters don’t have the privilege of polite language; they speak from their gut,” he explains. “Theatre has to reflect the way people actually speak, even when it’s uncomfortable — otherwise it loses its bite.”
Co-director Aakash Prabhakar, who also stars in the play, adds a cinematic sensibility to the production. “I wanted to locate the play emotionally rather than geographically,” he says. “The original is rooted in New York’s Latino community, but for us, it’s about people anywhere trying to rebuild their sense of self after chaos.” He emphasises the play’s emotional texture: “The staging is cinematic but intimate — close-ups created through lighting and blocking instead of cameras.” On engaging younger audiences, he reflects, “Younger audiences don’t want theatre to lecture them — they want to feel something real. Plays like this speak their language: fast, irreverent, emotionally honest.”
