Curve Theatre Leicester – 12th September 2025
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
4****
Mohit Mathur’s funny and touching one-man-play brings us the story of Uday Kumar, a plucky young call centre worker who dreams of a better life. Abandoned by his father, and stuck in a dead-end job he envisions leaving India and making a new life in the UK. The promised land is promised to him as a place of hope and plenty. His journey is not an easy one, it calls upon him to make some questionable decisions and take some troubling actions, but such is the lure of London, Kumar is willing to take the risk.
Setting his heart on a degree and becoming an influencer, he soon finds things are not what he imagined them to be. To survive he has to abandon his studies and become a carer to the elderly. Unable to secure housing he pursues avenues which begin to change him. The smile fades and the hope dwindles. Kumar struggles to stay in the UK, but having sacrificed so much, going back to India is not an option. Trapped in this bind, Kumar goes underground as an undocumented migrant. No recourse to public funds, and with no access to health care he must hide in the shadows to avoid deportation. After 10 years he might have an opportunity to stay in the UK if he can prove it has been his home for a decade. Only then can he become a part of society again.
This play explores why and how hundreds of young men like Kumar come to the UK and vanish without a trace. We get to see beneath the tip of the iceberg and are given a taste of the hardship, both at home and here in the UK. We see and hear about the prejudice individuals face from people of different races but also the lack of support they receive from people of their own race because they are divided by nationality. We hear the harrowing situations migrants find themselves in, which force them into making difficult decisions for survival.
Written and performed by Mohit Mathur and directed by Phill Willmott, it could have been a very heavy and emotionally draining piece, however there is magic in its creation. Both its presentation and writing are incredibly engaging and witty, the humour catching you off guard at some points. This one man show, employs photographs to show us other people involved in Kumar’s story and a mobile phone with tripod to demonstrate the influencer scenes. The pacing could be worked on as some poignant moments and salient bits of information may be missed, which would be a shame as there is incredible layering and nuance to the tale. No character is black and white, they all have reasons for their behaviours and their actions cause ripples.
With themes of exploitation, loneliness, racism, and identity amongst others, this is a highly emotive and relevant piece of theatre. Packing a poignant punch, it will hopefully make you question the propaganda which is being peddled by the press and see the humans behind it all