Being a woman is tough. Being an Indian woman is even tougher. We must be independent, but not too independent that we tarnish the family name. We must be strong enough to withstand the constant scrutiny that our bodies, minds and personalities are subject to. We’re too dark, too short, too thin, too educated, too loud, too much. Our friends still ask us if we speak ‘Indian’. Or worse, they assume we are Indian just because we are a certain shade of brown.

Written by The Necessary Stage’s Associate Artist Sindhura Kalidas, Happy Indian Women is a verbatim theatre production that questions the assumptions we make about the diverse South Asian diaspora in Singapore. Based on interviews with 20 women and non-binary people from various backgrounds, the play interweaves text, sound and multimedia to celebrate their honest and tender stories about faith, friendship and family.

Written and co-directed by Sindhura Kalidas
Co-directed by Haresh Sharma
Performed by Ashie Singh, Grace Kalaiselvi,Siobhan Jane Covey, and Siti Sara Hamid

Sound Artist: Bani Haykal
Multimedia Artist: Nina Chabra
Set Designer: Akbar Syadiq
Lighting Designer: Emanorwatty Saleh