Abstract:

Acting Like a Thief is about a Chhara tribal theatre group in Ahmedabad, India. Starting with the arrest of playwright Dakxin Bajrange, the documentary reveals how the Budhan Theatre has transformed the lives of adults and children within the community. Chhara tribals were notified as "natural criminals" by the British in 1871 and imprisoned in a labor camp in Ahmedabad. After Indian independence, they were de-notified, but the stigma of being a "born criminal" follows them to this day. The Budhan Theatre was inspired by the activism work of Mahasweta Devi.