Vrajesh Hirjee talks dark comedy and youth manipulation in his new play Archduke

Mumbai's annual Prithvi Theatre Festival is back, bringing together theatre-makers and audiences for a celebration of performing arts.

Vrajesh Hirjee on his new play Archduke and youth manipulation

Among this year's productions is Archduke, directed by Daniel Dsouza and produced by Danish Husain. Set against the events leading up to the First World War, Archduke follows three young men drawn into a plot to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Indulge Express caught up with Vrajesh during a rehearsal break.

Archduke turns a failed assassination plot that triggered the First World War into dark comedy. How do you find humour in such a devastating historical event without trivialising it?

Humour does not necessarily mean trivialising something. It can make a point easier to digest and convey a message better than being too intense about it. A vehicle takes a wrong turn and enters the wrong lane. A boy who was supposed to fire a bullet but had refused to do so happens to be sitting there. On the spur of the moment, he decides to fire, killing a man whose vehicle had also taken a wrong turn. And that ends up sparking a world war. Isn't that a ludicrous situation in itself?

What does it reveal about how easily young people can become tools of others’ ambitions?

We've seen it across the world, and we're seeing it even now. Young people being drawn into the sinister plots of evil older men for their own ends is a story as old as the hills. They carried it out, and then we know what happened to the world. An entire generation was destroyed.

What makes Archduke relevant to audiences today, when powerful individuals and political narratives can shape how people think and act?

We're seeing it across the world and how it's affecting us. As a parent to a very, very young child, I am extremely scared because the influences around us today have grown to a degree far greater than at any point in history. Are we even giving our children, the younger generations, a chance to grow into their own lives and make the world a better place?

What continues to challenge and excite you as an actor?

It is acting itself! It is incredibly exciting and challenging. My play opens on November 7, and right now, I have a knot in my stomach. It feels as though I am sitting at the top of a roller coaster, just about to plunge down.

What: Archduke – A dark comedy

Where: Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai

When: November 7, 2026 | 6 pm and 9 pm

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