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What would you ask for if a genie could give you almost anything, except the things that matter most?
That question sat at the heart of The Mystic Lamp as Rangmanch Production closed its four-show run at Nexus Theatre in Perth on October 4, 2026. The two-day production opened with two Hindi performances on October 3, followed by two English performances on October 4.
Rangmanch’s latest play transported audiences to Kolkata in 2005, where Aniket Bose is an ordinary office clerk with bigger dreams than his salary can accommodate. Then an old lamp changes everything.
The genie who emerges is no mythical figure in flowing robes. He arrives as Mr. Jin, a modern gentleman in a business suit, ready to provide almost anything money can buy. What he cannot deliver is happiness, talent, a cure for illness or protection from death.
And therein lies the catch.
As the things Aniket once longed for come within reach, the story shifts from what he can have to whether having it will make him happy.
Supriya Guha wrote the stage adaptation and screenplay and directed the production, while Deblina Sengupta wrote the English adaptation. The play is based on a classic Bengali short story by Sirshendu Mukherjee, which Guha told the audience he had first adapted for the Bengali stage several years ago.
Subrata played Aniket in both versions, with Guha appearing as Mr. Jin. Paromita Sen Mukherjee played Aniket’s wife, Jhumur, in the English production, while Shruti took the role in Hindi.
For Guha, the weekend also reflected a longer theatrical journey in Perth. Following the final performance, he looked back on what he called “15 years” of directing theater in the city and acknowledged cast and crew members with whom he has worked for years, including Shubhasis, with whom he has acted since 2009, and Subrata, who began working with him on stage in 2015.
That history was accompanied by something new.
Guha introduced the inaugural batch of Natyashala, the children’s theater academy he launched this year. Conducted in English and drawing on Indian stories, the Sunday program is aimed at developing children’s confidence through theater. Dibyangshu and Palaash, who played Babu in the English and Hindi productions respectively, are among its students.
Among those attending the production were Consul General of India in Perth Kajari Biswas and Yaz Mubarakai MLA.
The Mystic Lamp continues Rangmanch Production’s body of theater in Perth, following earlier productions including Jalianwala Bagh and Satyanweshi Byomkesh Bakshi.
The production leaves Aniket, and the audience, with a deceptively simple question: does having everything he wanted make him happy?
Cast and production
The English cast included Paromita Sen Mukherjee as Jhumur, Dibyangshu as Babu, Koushik as Mr. Chatterjee, Ashish as Tapan, Avijit as Sharat and Rohan, Eshika Dutta as Shreya Sen, Moumita as Nandita Mehta, Rheyah as Romi, Sanjoy Ghosh as Arindam Sen, Shibani as Sikha and Subhashis Chanda as Harihar, Parashar and Surtadhar.
The Hindi cast included Shruti Kamath Madgeri as Jhumur, Palaash as Babu, Indranil as Mr. Chatterjee, Sanjay Khanna as Tapan, Mool as Sharat, Monika as Shreya Sen, Moumita as Nandita Sen, Nirbir as Romi and Papori Barua as Shikha, with Sanjoy Ghosh and Subhashis Chanda also appearing.
Sushmita Guha served as production manager, with Nikhil Haldar and Abhijit Banerjee as stage managers, Sayantan Choudhury leading backstage management, Rashi Mitra leading costume and Indira Chanda leading makeup.
Modern Agency and VayuBots were the major sponsors, with Beachtown Investment, Boutique Realty, Em Bee Finance and Mortgage, Ensure Finance, Gill Property Services, Lady Latte Cafe and Millennium Granite as gold sponsors.
The Australian Indian Medical Association WA, Bengali Association of Western Australia, Indian Society of Western Australia and Uttar Pradesh Awadh Manch WA supported the production. South Asian Herald and The Australia Today were media partners.
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