Bad Indian featured on Riverside Radio

Bad Indian was recently featured on Riverside Radio’s Spotlight, a programme celebrating emerging theatre and creative work across London.

Writer and performer Saaj Raja joined the show to talk about the journey behind Bad Indian, the process of developing a deeply personal solo show, and how the production has grown from its early scratch performances into a full-length piece.

The conversation also looks ahead to an exciting few months for the show, with upcoming London performances and Bad Indian heading overseas for its first international dates in Hong Kong.

The Glitch, Waterloo — 9 & 10 September 2026
Soho House Hong Kong — 24 September 2026
Fai Gai, Hong Kong — 25 September 2026
Riverside Studios, London — 13, 14 & 15 October 2026
Lambeth Fringe — 21 & 22 October 2026

Full Circle at Deptford Scratch: Saaj Raja Returns as a Judge

A year after Bad Indian first appeared at Deptford Scratch, Saaj Raja has returned to Deptford Lounge, this time on the other side of the table.

In 2025, Bad Indian was selected for Deptford Scratch, marking the show’s first mini London iteration. At the time, the piece existed as a short extract: an opportunity to put the work in front of an audience, test the material and begin discovering what the show could become. Since then, Bad Indian has developed into a full-length solo show, selling out performances across London and preparing to travel to Hong Kong this September.

Last week, Saaj joined creatives Gloria Akpoke and Brad Tutt for Deptford Scratch’s first A Seat at the Table: Global Majority Spotlight. Led by producer and Deptford Scratch founder Jessica Fowler, the group read and discussed new writing before helping to select the pieces that will be presented at the next Deptford Scratch.

For Saaj, returning to the place that gave Bad Indian one of its earliest London platforms felt particularly significant. Scratch nights can be an important first step for new work. They give artists the chance to experiment, hear their writing in a room and begin understanding how an idea might develop in front of an audience. For Bad Indian, Deptford Scratch was exactly that.

What began as a ten-minute sharing has since grown into an ambitious full-length production, with performances across London and its first international dates ahead. Returning to help select the next group of artists offered a fitting full-circle moment and a reminder that sometimes a much bigger journey can begin with just ten minutes in a room.

Bad Indian - Greenwich Theatre - London

Saaj Raja’s autobiographical one-man show Bad Indian will be performed at Greenwich Theatre Studio on 3 and 4 July 2026, marking an exciting next step in the show’s development.

Directed by Scott Le Crass, Bad Indian is a darkly funny and emotionally honest solo show about identity, belonging, family pressure, masculinity, and the masks we wear in order to survive. Blending storytelling, humour and movement, the piece follows one man’s journey from suburban Britain to the trading floors of Hong Kong, as he tries to reconcile the life expected of him with the person he is becoming.

Raised to be the “good Indian boy” and the success story everyone wanted, Saaj chose double lives instead: forbidden loves, the wrong dreams, and a talent for talking his way into rooms he had no business being in. At its heart, Bad Indian asks a simple but uncomfortable question: what happens when you stop being who everyone expects, and start being who you are?

The Greenwich Theatre performances will be intimate work-in-progress sharings in the Studio, with just fifty seats per night. Audiences will be among the first to see this version of the show as it moves towards a full London run.

Bad Indian has already been developed through scratch nights, private salons and fringe performances, with audiences responding to its mix of humour, vulnerability and cultural honesty. These Greenwich dates represent a significant milestone for the project as Saaj continues to shape the show with his creative team.

Tickets are now available via Greenwich Theatre.

Book tickets for Bad Indian at Greenwich Theatre

Saaj selected for Deptford Scratch Night - London

Saaj has been selected as one of the writers for the upcoming Deptford Scratch Night, an event celebrating the voices of Global Majority writers. His one-man show, Bad Indian, will be performed alongside six other powerful works this October at The Albany in Deptford Lounge.

About Bad Indian
A first-generation British Indian walks the tightrope between culture, family, and identity – blending storytelling, humour, and a dash of Bollywood. Too British for the Indians, too Indian for the Brits, and, if you ask his Mum, a very bad Indian.

The scratch night will give Saaj the chance to share a short segment of Bad Indian with a live audience, test new material, and connect with fellow artists who are pushing the boundaries of storytelling. It promises to be an evening of bold, fresh theatre that champions emerging Global Majority voices.