Audition Call


Sultana Daku

our annual musical, a Naatak Original
playwright and director: Sujit Saraf
producer and dance director: Soumya Agastya
music director: Nachiketa Yakkundi
(in Hindi and English, with supertitles in English)
NAATAK opens its landmark 30th season with a timeless tale written specially for this occasion – an adaptation of the novel The Confession of Sultana Daku (Penguin, 2009), recounting the daring exploits of Sultana Daku, his wild raids, imaginative escapes and rise to notoriety, and his dramatic capture by Freddy Young, the celebrated superintendent of police who, in 1924, finally put an end to Sultana’s reign of terror around Bareilly and Moradabad.

 

As the first in a long line of notorious dakus, Sultana Daku with his horse-riding gang has appeared in countless films, in Hollywood – The Long Duel (1967) starring Yul Brynner – and Bollywood – Sultana Daku (1973) starring Dara Singh – with his best-known avatar being Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975).

 

With a new script that has never been performed before, the play will feature live music and dance, wit and humor, and energetic ‘svang’ performances that evoke 1920s India.

 

Show dates
Sep 5 – 28, 2025, Cubberley Theater, Palo Alto, CA

 

Audition for Actors

Saturday, June 21st, 2025
Naatak House, 3311 Keller St, Santa Clara CA 95054
Park on the street, not in the parking lot.

 

Roles Available
South-Asians:
8 MALES, ages 20-35 (dakus)
12 MALES, ages 36-70 (police officers, shopkeepers, political activists, svang players)
2 FEMALES, 35-60 (officials, political activists)
6 BOYS or GIRLS, ages 10-14 (to play the boy gang of dakus): fluency in Hindi is highly desirable

 

Caucasians:
5 MALES, ages 35-60 (British police officers, Salvation Army missionaries, King George V)
1 FEMALE, age 35-60 (Salvation Army missionary, Queen Mary)

 

Audition Details
1. RSVP by completing this rsvp form. You will receive a time slot between 9 AM and 11 AM (on June 21).
2. Come with a 1-minute solo performance (Hindi for South-Asians, English for Caucasians).
4. If shortlisted, you will be called back at 12 noon. The audition will finish by 2 PM.
5. Questions? Email sujit@naatak.org.

 

Rehearsals
July 9 – September 4
Most actors will be needed once a week in July and twice a week in August (typically: Wed evening, Sat morning, or Sun morning)
You must be available during Labor Day (Sep 1) weekend.