Don't make Instant judgements

A play unlike any other, Patanga Prabhaava bridges the past with the present. While bridging this gap, this play has a a very special message to convey. The team has be been inspired and has taken elements from the Sanskrit Koodiyattam Theatre. The play is set to happen on January 8 at Ranga Shankara. 

Karthik Hebbar, the play’s playwright and director feels theatre artists constantly observe the world around. He says, “All over the world, we are in a very divided existence. There is extremist opinions in everything. This builds a gap and there is no proper communication and dialogue.” Through this play, Karthik wanted to tell a story of two different sides so that these dialogues can build a bridge so that there can be more love rather than hate. He wants to reach out to minorities, patriarchal society listening to femine voice without being judgmental. Talking about the play Karthik adds, “This play’s storyline does not follow a regular narrative, its very distorted. The working on this script it got me thinking, have times really changed? I went back to Draupadi and her transgender brother Shikandi and if they talked what their conversation would be. We don’t engage with transgenders asking them what they need, we just make our own judgments about them. This story runs parallel with a present day woman talking to a trans woman.” 

Through this play, Karthik says society had not really changed a lot and it still has a long way to go. Karthik also realised that time is factor which can be played with only through quantum physics. “In quantum physics when we says an atom can take any shape and size, we humans are restricted to staying only as man and woman. Everyone has some male and female element in them.” 

This play also raises questions about the suppression of feminine gender by the patriarchal society, martial rape, child sexual abuse and how all these make the society we are in today. 

The play has two actors protraying these roles — Dr Seetha Kote and Chandra Keerti. “The message that this play wants to send out is to listen without judgment, accept people for who they are and let there only be love.”

Dr Seetha Kote is seasoned theatre artiste. She is also an accomplished a Bharatanatyam dancer. Dr Seetha adds, “In this play, I play three characters — Draupadi, Krishna and a neutral character. As a theatre artist and after having worked for over 15 year, this play  was the most challenging. Shifting from one character to another was a daunting task. Krishna and Draupadi both are different character. While poetess Krishna chose life over everything, Draupadi chose hate and in the end she ended up losing all her sons.” 

Chandra Keerti to had  very contrasting characters to play. He plays Mo short for Mohini, a transgender woman and Shikandi, a transgender man. “It was challenging task to play these characters. In movies, transgender people are always portrayed in a comic way. The challenging task was to not overdo it while also not showing my characters as comedy pieces.”