Creating contemporary New Zealand theatre that examines the experience of Indians in New Zealand society, Those Indian Guys have carved a niche for themselves in the New Zealand entertainment scene.

Themes that are explored include “cultural clash”, immigration, cultural stereotypes (from both New Zealand and Indian perspectives), growing up Indian in New Zealand society and cultural expectation as well as broader themes of love, loss, family, friendship and ambition.

The work has a basis in comedy and includes a variety of cross-media tools including the use of slides, shadow and hand puppets, digital film projection and soundscape. All of these elements create work that is textured and engaging to a broad audience.

D'Arranged Marriage was TIG’s first show. It premiered in Auckland at the TV2 International Laugh Festival 2002 and starred Tarun. Written by Mohanbhai and Varma and directed by Varma, the show was a sell out success and Ross Mollisons Productions in Australia picked it up on a three-year international contract.

Internationally, the show has since toured to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and has had a sell out season at the Sydney Opera House Studio in 2003 for six weeks. This year it toured to Malaysia and sold out in Kuala Lumpur. Nationally and internationally, D’Arranged Marriage has now performed over 130 times. The show sells out where ever it performs. The next season for D’Arranged Marriage will be at the Maidment Theatre in September 2006. Bookings are now open. Visit www.maidment.auckland.ac.nz for more information.

In November 2003, TIG cloned the show and premiered it at the Classic Comedy Bar in Auckland to a sell out house. The Cloned show stars Varma and is directed by Mohanbhai. The clones were performed simultaneously in Auckland and Wellington in May 2004 as part of the 2004 International Comedy Festival at the Herald Theatre and Circa Studio Theatre. Both seasons sold out completely. Critical success was garnered for the Wellington season where the show was heralded as, “a cultural comedy classic…” by the Dominion Post. Rajeev performed the show at the 2004 Fuel Festival where the show sold out before opening.

The 2004 International Comedy Festival was a busy time for TIG. Not only did they sell out D’Arranged Marriage in Auckland and Wellington, they premiered their new work… Indian Invaders, the prequel to D’Arranged Marriage, in Auckland at the Silo Theatre. 

A sell out success with extra shows sold out in 48 hours it was the first time that Tarun and Raj appeared on stage together and the show won Best Local Act at the Festival Awards. Those Indian Guys were under the excellent eye of Radar, who directed Indian Invaders, a revered New Zealand comedian who has won acclaim for his work with Mike King and his insightful and disturbingly different documentaries Timor Odyssey and the upcoming Christmas in Bethlehem: a naiveté story…

In 2005 Indian Invaders was reworked and renamed From India with Love. It toured to Malaysia in June 2005 along with D’Arranged Marriage, after premiering and selling out at the Herald Theatre in May in 2005 as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival.

From India with Love subsequently toured South Africa in November 2005 for 7 weeks. It performed in Durbin, Richards Bay and Johannesburg and achieved critical success. Those Indian Guys were seen on SABC and on “World of Winners,” on South African television. In 2006 From India with Love performed at Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, and the Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival. It is booked to perform at the Fuel Festival in Hamilton in June 2006 and play at the ODDFELLOWS NZ International Comedy Festival 2006 at Sky City Theatre in Auckland and Downstage Theatre in Wellington.

From India with Love is directed by Radar, with Paul Nicols designing lights, digital video segments directed by awarding winning film maker Cristobal Araus Lobos and sound design by Tim Schumaker. A new puppet has been created by Ollie Smart. The play was dramaturged by acclaimed New Zealand playwright, Gary Henderson.

From India with Love displays a maturing of TIG’s theatrical work to a sophisticated and sharpened comedic look at Indian life in 1950’s New Zealand.

Those Indian Guys can also been seen in “King Kong: Don’t Mess with the Monkey,” a short film this is dedicated to Peter Jackson’s upcoming King Kong feature. The short has featured on Flipside and One Network News. You can view the film at www.kongmovie.com.

Mohanbhai and Varma wrote and performed a series of sketches for Asia Down Under on TV One. They also are the regular MC’s for the Auckland and Wellington Dewali festivals for the City Councils. Their commercial for the Auckland Dewali festival, in 2003, won widespread acclaim within the South Asian community, when it was screened regularly on Auckland’s Triangle Television.

In 2004, Those Indian Guys appeared extensively on television. They wrote and starred in their own comedy skits for the Mike King show, appeared alongside Pio in, Some of my Best Friends are Indian and were interviewed on Breakfast, Good Morning, Front Seat, Headliners, Nightline and One Network News.

With the franchising of D’Arranged Marriage and the reworked From India with Love already booked for 2006, Those Indian Guys are well placed as an emerging force in the New Zealand entertainment industry, with London and New York just around the corner.

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