One-woman act on gender and identity: Jayati Bhatia play in Bengaluru

Mumbai-based theatre company QTP Entertainment is bringing the critically acclaimed one-woman performance Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace to Bengaluru. An adaptation of Stella Kon’s Emily of Emerald Hill, it is directed by Quasar Thakore Padamsee, and features Jayati Bhatia.

Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace was first performed in 2004 at Prithvi Theatre Festival, Mumbai. It tells the story of a woman’s struggle for agency in a patriarchal, male-dominated society. 

Quasar says he was able to understand his grandmother better through the play. “I never knew her, but by basing the character of Khatija on her, I got an opportunity to understand the India she inhabited and the social and gender politics she had to negotiate. That gave me a much greater appreciation of my grandmother,” he says. 

Did the play go through any changes? He says, “We keep tweaking the work based on how our understanding of things changes.”

Quasar finds the different responses of the audience interesting. He
recalls a moment from the play when Khatija is ridiculed for mispronouncing the name of a town in the UK, and says, “Recent audiences seem to be more responsive to her awkwardness at that moment.” 

Jayati Bhatia is best known for her performances in TV serials and webseries. Her theatre performances include The Vagina Monologues, Going Solo Part 1 and Mahatma Vs Gandhi. She was praised for her work in 2024 OTT series Heeramandi.

Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace, September 26, 7.30 pm and September 27, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara, J P Nagar. Tickets online.