Writer-producer Purva Naresh, who is popularly known for her works in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, speaks to The Pioneer about her inclination towards theaters, her recent Teleplay OK Tata Bye Bye, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
, who is popularly known for her works in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, speaks to The Pioneer about her inclination towards theaters, her recent Teleplay OK Tata Bye Bye, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
, who is popularly known for her works in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, speaks to The Pioneer about her inclination towards theaters, her recent Teleplay OK Tata Bye Bye, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
Recently, Rangmanch ka Rang-Punch, a six-day festival held at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre to celebrate the Aarambh group’s fifteenth anniversary, came to an end. Presented by Zee Theatre and backed by the Raza Foundation, the festival, which is re-staging some of Aarambh’s pieces, began with the award-winning OK Tata Bye Bye, written and produced by Purva Naresh, a founding member of Aarambh. OK Tata Bye Bye, a narrative about two documentary filmmakers seeking an interview with a sex worker in a distant community, sheds light on numerous concerns in rural India in an engaging and humorous manner.
Popularly known for her dialogues in Hasee Toh Phasee and Dum Maaro Dum, Purva Naresh has been actively involved in entertaining her audience with her theater plays.
She was an FTII graduate and had no foothold in theater, but so many people opened pathways and created avenues for her. They did so, even though she could do nothing for them in return. “I love the fact that there is nothing transactional about theater. My early years in Mumbai saw me taking on assorted film jobs to keep a roof over my head.” She has assisted Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan, and Sudhir Mishra, wrote for Rohan Sippy, Vinyl Mathew, and Ashwni Dhir, and did theater with her earnings. Even while working at Reliance Motion Pictures as the head of production, she did not give up theater. In fact, fortunately, Amit Khanna, her boss at Reliance, always fought for her when people questioned how she could do theater while working for the company. She used her salary to mount her theater productions and can say, in retrospect, that a lot of kindness has come my way.
“I am a writer, director, and Kathak exponent, and ‘abhinay’ is part of my training, but I have acted occasionally for Anurag Basu and Rohan Sippy in emergency situations when there was no other option but for me to fill in,” shares the talented connoisseur, adding, “In fact, in Aaj Rang Hai, I have four dances and only one dialogue, and that too is barely audible. But my training in theater does help me to give good narrations.”
Her recent teleplay is a filmed version of the stage play, which is about a sex worker asking for respect. She does not want sympathy, but empathy. She also switches the power dynamic between her and the urban filmmakers who arrive in her village to make a documentary about her life. In answer to their one question, she has ten of her own, which makes them rethink their perceptions and preconceived ideas. Talking of her inspiration for the teleplay, she shares, “I had worked on a documentary with an American director. We were a crew of two women making this film in the villages of the ‘Neemuch’ district. I was just fresh out of FTII, and we revisited the village many times over the span of a few years. This story stemmed from the experiences of making that film.”
She draws her inspiration from literature or real life, including her ‘Nani’, who was a ‘baithak’ singer. Her life fascinates and inspires her. Her brother, in fact, is also extremely intriguing. He is a gentle soul who understands women and is dependent on them. But this does not challenge his masculinity or make him a lesser man.
“It is important to question the misrepresentation of women in popular culture and literature, where there is often very little space for them to tell their own stories,” she shares as she goes on. “I want to depict women in their authenticity without filtering their humanity or diluting their power. For instance, in my plays, you will meet women trapped in loveless marriages, a sex worker who refuses to be judged, a ‘baithak’ singer who tries to make sense of a polarised world with Khusrau’s poetry, and a poetess from Kashmir. These women, with their powerful feminine perspectives, are my counterpoints to patriarchal norms. And they are not figments of imagination but real.”
She does feel theater can play a part in questioning the status quo, changing perceptions, and empowering those who are languishing on the social and economic margins. At the Rangmanch Ka Rang Punch festival, when they presented a selection of plays from our 15 years of work at Aarambh, she realised the common thread between all of them was the story of the Indian on the margins.
“Invisibilised human beings, especially women, are at the heart of my work. And yes, theater can powerfully narrate themes, ideas, and stories that we don’t usually come across in cinema. It can, in a very organic and intimate way, change the way we think. In theater, it is also easier to take creative risks, stretch narrative boundaries, and weave intersectional and inclusive stories. Such plays may not bring about instant change, but they can move the needle a little bit towards a positive shift.”
As we head towards the end of the interview, she goes on to describe the 15 years of Aarambh and also further states, “Hindi theater is often not given the same respect as English theater. It has been a challenge to write in Hindi about contemporary issues and find the kind of resources and venues that English plays often get easily. There is also a certain elitism in theater, but slowly, over the last 15 years, I have seen the situation changing for the better. Hindi writing is being taken seriously, and the language divide is slowly being breached. I see a very diverse audience now increasingly frequenting Hindi plays.”
