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Chale Ga, Chale Ga

A bilingual play (English/Hindi) about road safety

Availability:

Currently available for short tours. Please contact info@womenandtheatre.co.uk for more information

Introduction

It’s Manny’s wedding day. Papa’s arranging the food, Dadi’s getting the pugri, and his cousin Jag has just turned up in his latest flashy car. Join us to wish the happy couple well, as they journey together on the road to a new life….

Chale Ga Chale Ga is a moving and uplifting play about being safe on the roads. Originally based on a Sikh family, the play has been revised to make the characters and references more universal. The play is therefore suitable for all community groups inclusive of all cultures and religions. It features easily identifiable situations that occur in all our communities. The dialogue in the play is bilingual (English and Hindi).

Chale Ga, Chale Ga covers a range of road safety issues through it’s often funny, always believable characters, including:

  • Distractions whilst driving – phones, loud music
  • The importance of car safety and MOTs
  • Learning to drive – how bad habits can be passed on from parents to children
  • Overloading cars
  • Seat belts
  • Safe parking – not blocking junctions/double yellow lines

The play ends with an accident, but how did it happen? The audience is invited to find out for themselves as they interview each character in-role. Through these conversations, we discover the course of events which led to the accident and discuss the levels of responsibility each character holds for what has happened, encouraging the audience to draw out lessons to apply to their own behaviour.

History

Chale Ga, Chale Ga was originally commissioned by Sandwell Road Safety Team, Sandwell Public Information Network, Smethwick Community Safety Unit & Sandwell Asian Arts. It originally toured Sandwell in 2005, and has since toured nationally, particularly in London, reaching audiences everywhere from community centres to schools and libraries.

Women & Theatre have also worked with young people in Bradford to devise and perform their own version of Chale Ga, Chale Ga, a rewarding and fulfilling experience for all concerned as they shared road safety messages with their peers, families and communities.

Notes

This fun and moving piece uses film, music and theatre to tell the story of a wedding that goes tragically wrong. There is an in role discussion which becomes very passionate as the audience are asked to decide whose fault it is that the bride and groom died in a car crash.
Janice Connolly, W&T Artistic Director

Outcome

‘It was an excellent production with a clear message. The humour went down very well!’ (Teacher)

‘I’ve never seen them so lively’ (Teacher)

From this performance I understand that the responsibilities for our problems are ours. It was so useful and gives us some reality. It shows a real life’s story.

It was very well performed. I’ll remember the comedy and the important lessons

It was interesting because they used a different language. As well I learned not to show off in a serious situation. The storyline was very realistic.

Excellent, very good and clear acting I will go and teach my family what I learned from this play. Very nice and friendly actors, and they conveyed and discussed their point excellently

It was a very good example of our community

The play made me aware that although I am the passenger, I can still make others aware of these things I liked the public participation at the end

Production Credits

Researched and written by: Janice Connolly & Fateha Begum

Original Cast:
Papa/Groom Imran Mirza
Beti Rakhee Thakrar
Daadi (Grandmother) Ruby Sangha
Dhost Neil Paul

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