A two-actor black comedy about life, death, and everything in between.
A successful female executive who teeters on the brink of a Mumbai high-rise, poised to end her life, is unexpectedly saved by a cab driver. What follows is a poignant night of unique connection, where two disparate worlds intertwine and spark a profound exploration of life, death, and everything in between.
Commissioned by & premiered at
Synopsis
On a gloomy night, atop a Mumbai high-rise, a successful female CMO of a unicorn, burdened by a nihilistic outlook, stands on the verge of suicide. Just in time, a taxi driver, scarred by his father’s suicide, intervenes to save her. Her desire to leap into the abyss clashes with his desperate need to preserve his nightly refuge. This serendipitous encounter ignites a humorous, poignant, and profoundly transformative conversation bridging their disparate worlds. As her facade of success crumbles, she reveals past traumas and deep-seated unhappiness, while the taxi driver’s non-judgemental demeanour and profound wisdom provide unexpected solace. Amidst the urban chaos and desolation, on this redemptive rooftop, they find a unique connection in their shared humanity. Will he be able to truly save her, or will she find herself back on the edge?
Director’s Note
Jump is not just a story—it is an exploration of the profound human need for true connection. The play was born from a personal turning point: in October 2022, I survived a devastating avalanche as a mountaineer—a tragedy that claimed 29 lives. That brush with mortality compelled me to confront essential questions about meaning, mortality, and the value of existence itself.
India faces over 260,000 suicides a year. With Jump, I set out to examine the intricate workings of the suicidal mind, crafting a narrative that fuses dark humour and elements of magic realism while always approaching the subject with sensitivity. At its heart, Jump is about the tension between nihilism and existentialism, about what happens when people from profoundly different backgrounds collide and discover, in the chaos, the possibility of common ground and unspoken empathy.
In creating Jump, my hope was to illuminate both the silent struggles within us and the transformative potential of simply reaching across to another human being—even, or perhaps especially, at our lowest moments.
Key Performances
Cast & Crew
performed by DILNAZ IRANI & SANJAY SONU
written & directed by MANEESH VERMA
associate director & lights Vishal | production manager MONIKA GUPTA | scenography MANEESH VERMA | scenography consultant DHANENDRA KAWADE | sound Sahil Vaid | music producer KAIZAD GHERDA | theme song lyrics & music ASIF ALI BEG | theme song singer SHAZNEEN ARETHNA | produced by COLLECTIVE MADNESS STUDIOS
special thanks KALYANI HIWALE, HARSH KHURANA, TUSHAR PANDEY
inspired from “Umbrella” written by LARRY PONTIUS | commissioned by SERENDIPITY ARTS FESTIVAL 2023
