"I am a feminist and am committed to giving voice to women," says New York artist Dipti Mehta.

Award-winning theatre artist and activist Dipti Mehta performs her soul-stirring solo play HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan  at Flato Markham Theatre on March 10, 2018.

The Mumbai-raised actress has spent almost a decade on this solo play – working, rewriting and adding characters which critics have called a “must-see”.

“Being a woman growing up in a patriarchal culture I was compelled by the plight of marginalized women. I was heartbroken. Words cannot describe how I felt when I saw a sex-worker trying to lure a man so she could make a mere 50 rupees (less than one dollar). In 2004, I wrote a piece about a middle-class girl getting into prostitution. And with that came awareness and research that shook me to my core. Thus, in 2009, the first iteration of HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan was born,” says Dipti Mehta, who is also an actress of repute in Indian-American film and television industry.

The play takes a poignant look at the complex, dangerous world of Mumbai’s real-life brothels. Dipti plays the characters allowing audiences to meet the eunuch, priest, pimp, mother and daughter who call Mumbai’s red-light district home. The play is based on characters that playwright has experienced firsthand in Mumbai.

This is a special play for Dipti who has closely observed and lived the characters in essence where each of the seven roles have distinct attributes – unique physicality and mannerism. “The way they walk, stand, talk or behave all had to be unique,” says the playwright.

Dipti Mehta recently spoke to India Journal talking about her struggles in New York, acceptance and success in the adopted country. Now that she has made a name for herself in New York’s popular theatre district, she looks back when she faced numerous challenges as a minority and a person of colour with her accent and background not much of any help. Dipti worked very hard to fit into the new parameters of New York’s theatre world.

To say the least, Dipti’s journey has been painstakingly arduous one. Initially after several auditions and many unpaid works, she was able to build a portfolio to get some notice. Her struggles have paid back in the great success of this play which has become a sort of activism and brings into focus the plight of women in India. The play highlights the stigma a woman faces and has a great message.

Dipti has been donating a part of proceeds from this play to many organizations that support women who are marginalized and supporting organizations such as Honour Her, Safe Houses, Butterfly Foundation, Kranti and others.

“This has made me a better person – something that I able to communicate to a wide range of audience.” Such activism goes beyond artistic accomplishments.  Dipti has motivated many theatre fans to buy a ticket and has lent a voice to women who don’s have one.

“Given the current climate, every artist has a citizen duty and I am happy that my play is able to highlight the plight of women. I hope that people get that they too can make a difference. When they see HONOUR they have already made a difference by buying the ticket. They have already touched a sex traffic victim’s life. And I hope that the show gives them awareness and compassion for the people living in red light districts or caught in circumstances beyond their power,” she says.

The Markham performance will bring on stage the best of this one-woman show. The power-packed two-hour performance starts at 8pm at Flato Markham Theatre. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.markham.ca.