Indian Theatre: The world within

This new oeuvre has narratives that belong to our immediate milieus and social dilemmas of playwrights. They are like subsidiaries feeding into the bigger picture of gender politics,sociopolitical upheavals and nostalgia. “To be true,a play has to belong to a world we are intimate with,” says Purva Naresh,whose Aaj Rang Hai won multiple awards at Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2011. For the play,she delved into the life of her grandmother,Beni Bai,a baithak singer of the erstwhile principalities. The story brought alive a bygone world,full of music and emotion.

Nostalgic musings almost always become a tool to decode the present. “In our fast-moving,globalised society,even relationships have become a part of takeaway values. Another play of mine,Ok Tata Bye Bye talks about picking up relationships on the go,” says Naresh.

Social commentary,however,is wrapped in taut storyline and wit. “Humour is a powerful tool in confronting reality,” says Chennai-based mediaperson and playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar,who calls herself “socially reactive”. A play by her,Free Outgoing,premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London,becoming an instant hit,before being staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It recalls the case of a teenage student filmed while having sex,with the MMS going viral. Another play,Disconnect,which was also staged at the Royal Court Theatre,is set in a call centre and highlights the “clash between the traditional and globalised worlds”. Both plays will tour Indian cities later this year.

Inevitably,it is the macrocosm that finds echoes in personal stories. Mumbai-based Akash Mohimen’s story,Mahua,deals with tribal displacement. He had read a piece by noted journalist P Sainath several years ago about tribals losing their homes,and a painful memory had stirred in him. “I was 11 and my parents found that not many landlords wanted to rent out to Muslims. We changed three homes in a year,” he says. Directed by Rajit Kapur,Mahua is a thought-provoking tale with death and danger lurking at every twist and turn.