THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Gets Hinglish Makeover in Delhi as HARSHVARDHAN HAVELI MEIN HATYA

The British stage comedy The Play That Goes Wrong has been adapted for Indian audiences by Delhi-based group Dramatech, opening at the Little Theatre Group auditorium in Mandi House on March 29. The production, titled Harshvardhan Haveli Mein Hatya, relocates the mishap-filled murder mystery to 1970s Himachal Pradesh and presents the story in a blend of Hindi and English, reports the Indian Express.

Directed by Ananya Shrangi, a software engineer making his directorial debut, the adaptation marks a local take on the 2012 British play created by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. Known for its chaotic humor and global popularity, the original has been performed in 50 countries and won the 2015 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play.

Shrangi, who has been active with Dramatech since 2016, described the challenges of adapting the play for Indian audiences. “It’s a well-written murder mystery but, with the mishaps, takes a totally different turn,” said Shrangi. “The challenge was to write those jokes in the Indian context.”

The Indian version keeps the original’s structure—a play within a play—where an amateur theater troupe attempts to stage a murder mystery with escalating blunders. In this version, the action is set in a post-colonial haveli in Himachal Pradesh. The language is approximately 60% Hindi and 40% English, incorporating references to Indian pop culture, such as viral social media content and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

After opening at LTG, the show will continue its run at Shri Ram Centre beginning April 5. Dramatech, founded in 1984, is known for staging plays with working professionals and has a long-standing presence in Delhi’s theater scene.

The team behind Harshvardhan Haveli Mein Hatya has invested heavily in detailed sets and physical comedy, with actors rehearsing extensively to execute the demanding slapstick elements. “In comedy plays, we have to maintain the balance,” Shrangi said. “I wanted the Delhi audience to get fully entertained.”