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The world of stage dramas has long been a place where the artistes were safely projecting their inner showman to the audience. However, Shweta Tripathi ’s play External Affairs was beyond any and all sense of a boundary that we famously call ‘the fourth wall’. For what started as a group therapy session, the show eventually broke the ice to give a glimpse of what it means to be dating in today’s generation. Amid the hook-ups, the subtle infidelity, the unsuitable matchup, and the harmless lies that eventually convert into the situationship that the two leads, Arjun and Insiya, found themselves in, the bigger question at hand here was: How do you know who ‘the one’ for you is?

Arjun, portrayed by Chaitanya Sharma aka SlowCheeta, is an up-and-coming rapper stuck in the realm of the unknown, meets Insiya, Shweta Tripathi, during one of his hunts that he was forced to take part in on the insistence of his best friend. Insiya on the other hand was a somewhat successful social media influencer with questionable talent. Finding an easy common ground thanks to their recent breakups and self-centred exes the two leads decide to give themselves another try, this time with someone more understanding and with similar tastes, or so they thought.


Without the bounds of the fourth wall, audience was visibly more engaged in the act and all the more attentive to what is happening as at any point in time they might have to be a part of the series of fast paced dating hullabaloo coupled with Gen-Z innuendos and the modern trends.

You know it takes one to know one when you see a real-life couple playing two distant characters that are vaguely similar to most of us, not because of the work they do, but for they what they don’t. Much like the reality, the act also explores the pointlessness of trying as hard to impress your partner as you did when you first met them, while also reminding us that relationships thrive not on constantly chasing the initial spark, but on honest communication.

Even if it comes at the cost of one’s relationship? Especially if it comes at the cost of a relationship!

Perhaps the objective of life isn't to find a destination and settle into comfort, but to find the person with whom you want to spend the rest of it. While the idea of the play seemed simple on paper, it was the execution that was a real challenge, even for trained and accomplished actors like Shweta Tripathi and Abhinav Sharma .


Shweta anchors the play with remarkable sincerity, balancing humour, vulnerability and emotional depth in a performance that never feels theatrical, despite the play's unconventional format. One of the biggest surprises of the evening was Chaitanya's remarkably natural and relatable performance. While we have seen glimpses of his acting abilty in films like Maidaan and Gully Boy, this production sees him come into his own, matching Shweta Tripathi beat for beat and holding his own alongside one of the industry's most accomplished performers. Garima Yajnik and Abhinav’s recurring entries as multiple characters were the true backbone of the story. Garima played the therapist, Insiya’s best friend, Insiya’s mother, Arjun’s ex-girlfriend and more; while Abhinav played Arjun’s best friend, his father, Insiya’s ex-boyfriend, and many more.

External Affairs may revolve around modern dating , but its questions are timeless. By blending audience interaction with emotionally grounded performances and witty writing, it delivers a theatrical experience that is as entertaining as it is introspective. It doesn't promise easy answers about love, instead it simply reminds us that finding the right questions may be the most important part.