In a story that pits human nature against love and chance, a landscape of betrayal and redemption comes to life in the red-light district of Bombay, India. One very powerful eunuch, Top Rani, operates an illicit lottery through his brothel, and when a gambler who is deeply in debt makes an unexpected wager, the stakes become life and death. Can a fortune-teller and a ten-year-old girl beat Top Rani at his own game?
Nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script (2004) Finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama (2007) “At once poetic and theatrical, The Bombay Plays pulse with grit, humour and despair. Anosh Irani makes an astonishing debut with these two plays. His voice is fierce, funny and wholly original.” - Governor General's Award Jury, 2007
“Top Rani, in The Matka King, is a barker much like Celestin in Jerome: the top eunuch in a brothel in the red light district, he has girls to sell and bets to take. Throughout, the writing is deliciously biting and the exchanges very clever. Every line is an opportunity to comment and satirize while the images are vivid and unexpected. Despite (or because of) the humour and the harshness, we feel deeply for these characters.” - Canadian Literature
“Excellent characterization and humor bring (this) cruel drama to life.” - The Vancouver Sun
“Top Rani's desire to understand his sexuality is very powerful. And this is perhaps where east meets west in Irani's intriguing play.” - Vancouver Courier
“...raunchy yet elegant...an engaging exploration of the darker side of human nature.” - The Westender
“Anosh Irani has crafted a story as black and seductive as a desert night.” - Globe and Mail