Pradeep Kumar Sharma,a moneylender by profession,has an enormous moustache glued on to his face. I am the mighty Ravana, he thunders. Sharma has been playing the King of Lanka for the last five years. The Ramlila performances at Ramlila Maidan,in Delhi,are among the most famous in India,with the Prime Minister among the audience on the final day,Dusshera. Backstage witnesses a different sort of battle,as mere mortals are transformed into gods,demons or monkeys. The main protagonist,this year,is a six-foot-tall Prateek Malhotra. The crown and a bow-and-arrow transforms this gum-chewing,headphone-wearing accountant into a figure of tranquility. Even as Sangam Mishra,an aspiring model,who plays Sita,frets over her costume,sundry rakshashas and vanar sena members grab the right clothes for the epic occasion.
