THE PRESIDENT IS COMING 

Written by Anuvab Pal 

SYNOPSIS 

In 2006, George Bush, President of The United States, visited India. In addition to the many diplomatic and political things on the agenda was a rather unique event - a meeting with one of the young faces responsible for shaping "The New India".    
  
This is a fact. The rest is fiction.  
  
The US Consulate hires a PR agency that “knows America” to find 1 young Indian to be the face of the New India before The American President. The agency brings in 6 Young Indians who have been listed in India Today magazine (the biggest English-language weekly in the country) as the “top Indian achievers under 30”.  
  
The winner is to be selected in a day through a round of bizarre tests that get progressively tougher in a room in the US Consulate. The President will shake their hand among a long line of waiting Indian luminaries, the next day.  
  
Each is desperate to win and will resort to any means to do so.  

BACKGROUND 
  
Close on the heels of the success of “Loins of Punjab Presents”, writer Anuvab Pal adapts his uproarious satirical play "The President is Coming". Starring some of the brightest young talent from the Mumbai theatre scene, and directed by Kunaal Roy Kapur, the play has had close to 20 shows since its opening early this year, establishing itself as the comic stage event of the year. 
  
The adaptation to film is also a comment on two issues that obsess the world today - American influence globally, and the rise of modern India. The visit of George Bush thus becomes a larger metaphor to understand the dynamic of a young ambitious country while exploring hilarious and relevant notions of what America stands for, and does, in the world today. 
  
  
Praise for "The President is Coming" on Stage 
  
“An entertaining piece of work that was one of the better productions to emerge from January’s Writers’ Bloc festival”
“Pal’s inventiveness allows for buckets of dramatic potential that director Kunaal Roy Kapur exploits successfully.”  
- Time Out Mumbai 
  
“Very funny…had the audience rolling in the aisles”
“The cast is terrific…Enjoyable watch” 
- Times of India 
  
“Playwright Anuvab Pal’s entertaining comedy draws the guffaws… ”
"The plays facile humour is also laced with irony and wit – after a first half of jibes at the US, the jokes take on satirical overtones.” 
- Hindustan Times 
  
“Pal’s satire is refreshingly witty and sharp lends itself well to the stage with an intelligent mix of action, pace and dialogues.”
“Kunaal Roy Kapur’s treatment of the play is bright stylish and slick…..high dose of entertainment…succeeds in making the audience have a great time."
“The effort is laudable for its subversion and its potential to spark very pertinent debates." 
- Mumbai Mirror