A new look at the director’s cut

The first woman to direct Ninasam’s annual Thirugata play, Shwetha Rani is behind many changes in the Karnataka theatre scene

Nilakanteshwara Natyaseva Sangha (Ninasam), established in 1949, is one of Karnataka's most renowned theatre schools. In the 75 years of its existence, many women have studied here and gone on to excel in theatre. However, the progressive theatre school had never had a woman director on board for its annual Thirugata, a repertoire tour by students of the institute. This changed in 2023 when Shwetha Rani H K was invited to direct a play for Thirugata.

“Be it in direction or acting, she is an extremely committed and hardworking person,” says K V Akshara, who heads Ninasam. This, along with the use of innovative methods in direction or acting, is why she was chosen to direct for Ninasam. 

The play she directed for the tour, Aa Laya Ee Laya, is based on the Apartheid in South Africa. The script was tweaked to make it relatable to the societal conditions of India.

Many who have worked with Shwetha say that in choosing her plays, she has sought to bring global themes to the stage. Explaining her choices, Shwetha says she looks for stories with original themes and universal subjects.

With her unique lens on gender, Shwetha can interpret any scene to give it a profound perspective, says K P Lakshman, a director who has put together many plays that she has acted in. For example, “she changes the gender of actors by making male actors do female roles and vice versa. This is not new. It is common in Yakshagana and company dramas. But Shwetha’s treatment of male-acted female characters is dignified and not stereotyped,” he says. 

Often when a male actor plays a female role, he is asked to think of the character as his mother or sister. “The dignity that thought brings to the role is on a different level.”

She consistently advocates against oppression, interpreting violence and politics through a feminist lens in her plays. “I belong to the Dalit community. This identity is very important for me,” Shwetha says.

She also recognises how it was easy for men to assimilate into the ways of theatre. “Women have to let go of most of their societal conditioning. Theatre is a liberating experience for women. It converts the ‘don’ts’ in society to ‘dos’,” she says.

“Women are not allowed to talk or laugh loudly even at home, but the theatre wants them to do it. Everything that is looked at as a norm in society is questioned in theatre,” she explains. She says these are small actions, but their emotional impact is powerful.

Shwetha Rani at work

Venkatamarana Aital, a theatre director and her mentor at Ninasam, says Shwetha is a thoughtful actor who asks questions and sharpens her character at every step. “As a director, she has innovative ways to extract the best acting output from actors. She sits with them, discusses and tweaks their characters to fit their nature,” he adds. 

Her true passion lies in educating young people in theatre. As a freelancer, she collaborates with various groups in different roles and seizes every opportunity to teach. 

“I feel we need to work more with the children and youth,” says Shwetha. She believes that theatre can be an alternative form of education and a remedy to help youth be more sensitive to the issues around them. 

Shwetha’s own achievements tell a story of resilience and determination — of a young woman who stood firm in her beliefs. Born and raised in Pension Mohalla, Hassan city, she recalls growing up in a community of Dalits and Muslims, which shielded her from experiencing caste oppression firsthand. Her father, Sandesh H K, was a dedicated anti-caste activist from Hassan. “I always thought cities do not encourage the caste system,” she reflects.

But she felt the heat of oppression during her visits to her grandmother’s home, just a few kilometres away from the city. “We had to sit outside the hall to watch TV when we went to neighbours’ homes. When I went to fetch water from the village well, I had to wait until the upper caste women left,” she says. 

She says these experiences shaped her outlook. “I thought, why should we let ourselves be treated differently? I would stand next to Ambedkar’s photo and dream of a better future without discrimination,” she says. 

Shwetha Rani

Later, her family moved to another area in Hassan, where the caste hierarchy differed. When her mother joined a self-help group, other women members from upper castes around would try to exclude her. “My mother did not compromise with this at all. She did not take anything to heart and kept hanging out with them, and finally, no one could ignore her,” she says. She says she learnt the importance of friendship and a positive approach from her mother.

While pursuing her degree at Hassan Government Arts College, Shwetha actively participated in theatre productions. After graduating in 2009, she came across an advertisement for Shivakumara Rangaprayoga Shaale in Sanehalli and applied. She was selected and joined their repertoire tour, performing with them for a year. Although she later enrolled in a Master of Social Work programme, she dropped out after a year, realising that theatre was her true calling.

Soon after, she joined Ninasam in 2011 as a student and the National School of Drama (NSD) for a master's course in acting in 2013-14. The two-year stint changed her in many ways and helped her hone her skills while exposing her to politics and social issues.

After returning from her master’s programme at NSD, Shwetha decided to return to Ninasam as a theatre educator. Over the next three years, she directed several plays, further honing her craft and contributing to the institution. 

“She is a rare female theatre practitioner who considers teaching theatre a supreme act. She puts her best efforts into teaching youngsters,” says Lakshman.

“Shwetha can balance the art and craft of theatre with the urge to respond to social responsibility. She has always responded to the surrounding political developments in all her productions since her NSD days,” he says.