<p>While contemplating the way Desdemona is portrayed in ‘Othello’, director Abhishek Majumdar’s attention was drawn to the fact that the women in other traditional texts, folklore and epics had a similar treatment.</p>.<p>“Their voices are curtailed, we seldom hear their side of the story and they don’t have enough representation. In some cases, especially in later retellings (of epics like ‘Ramayana’), certain sections that see women playing important roles are completely absent,” begins Majumdar. This was the starting point for the concept of the play, ‘Desdemona Rupakam’, which is set to be staged in Bengaluru this weekend. He adds that the seeds for the concept were sown during the height of the pandemic when women were being similarly marginalised. “Women’s experiences of the lockdowns were completely different to that of men,” he elaborates, referring to the increased instances of domestic abuse and divorce during that period.</p>.<p>Classical and folk</p>.<p>The 90-minute play is described as a concert theatre piece, and features a two-member cast — noted singers M D Pallavi and Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy. Combining music and dialogues, the production starts off with the scene where Desdemona is killed by her jealous husband who suspects she is involved with another man. Here, the duo breaks into song which then transitions into spoken dialogues about the questions the play seeks to ask. </p>.<p>Through genres like Carnatic, Hindustani classical, and folk music, the show highlights the challenges faced by female characters like Damayanthi, Shakuntala, Kaikeyi and Renuka. Artforms like Yakshagana, Harikatha and Yellamma nataka are woven into the performance, adding to the richness of the narrative. “It’s extremely funny in some parts, and serious in others. There’s also a bit of audience interaction,” reveals Pallavi whose expertise in bhavageethe and Hindustani music combines with Bindhumalini’s Carnatic and classical Hindustani vocals for a unique sound. </p>.<p>Poetic license</p>.<p>The duo performs over a soundscape that has been composed by sound designer Nikhil Nagaraj. The script and songs are in a mix of English, Kannada and Tamil and the lyrics are written by the team of writers which includes Irawati Karnik, Veena Appiah, Pallavi, Bindhumalini, Nagaraj and Majumdar. In some cases, poetry has been set to music. For instance, Tishani Doshi’s English poem ‘The River of Girls’, which is also performed as spoken dialogue, is translated to Kannada and Tamil and turned into a song.</p>.<p>The play has been staged multiple times and so the narrative has evolved since the first performance, says the director. “We rehearse every month whether there’s a show or not. So we’ve been tweaking and changing things over the past two years. The current ending is also different from the initial version of the play,” he explains.</p>.<p>‘Desdemona Rupakam’, July 29 and 30, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield. Tickets online.</p>
<p>While contemplating the way Desdemona is portrayed in ‘Othello’, director Abhishek Majumdar’s attention was drawn to the fact that the women in other traditional texts, folklore and epics had a similar treatment.</p>.<p>“Their voices are curtailed, we seldom hear their side of the story and they don’t have enough representation. In some cases, especially in later retellings (of epics like ‘Ramayana’), certain sections that see women playing important roles are completely absent,” begins Majumdar. This was the starting point for the concept of the play, ‘Desdemona Rupakam’, which is set to be staged in Bengaluru this weekend. He adds that the seeds for the concept were sown during the height of the pandemic when women were being similarly marginalised. “Women’s experiences of the lockdowns were completely different to that of men,” he elaborates, referring to the increased instances of domestic abuse and divorce during that period.</p>.<p>Classical and folk</p>.<p>The 90-minute play is described as a concert theatre piece, and features a two-member cast — noted singers M D Pallavi and Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy. Combining music and dialogues, the production starts off with the scene where Desdemona is killed by her jealous husband who suspects she is involved with another man. Here, the duo breaks into song which then transitions into spoken dialogues about the questions the play seeks to ask. </p>.<p>Through genres like Carnatic, Hindustani classical, and folk music, the show highlights the challenges faced by female characters like Damayanthi, Shakuntala, Kaikeyi and Renuka. Artforms like Yakshagana, Harikatha and Yellamma nataka are woven into the performance, adding to the richness of the narrative. “It’s extremely funny in some parts, and serious in others. There’s also a bit of audience interaction,” reveals Pallavi whose expertise in bhavageethe and Hindustani music combines with Bindhumalini’s Carnatic and classical Hindustani vocals for a unique sound. </p>.<p>Poetic license</p>.<p>The duo performs over a soundscape that has been composed by sound designer Nikhil Nagaraj. The script and songs are in a mix of English, Kannada and Tamil and the lyrics are written by the team of writers which includes Irawati Karnik, Veena Appiah, Pallavi, Bindhumalini, Nagaraj and Majumdar. In some cases, poetry has been set to music. For instance, Tishani Doshi’s English poem ‘The River of Girls’, which is also performed as spoken dialogue, is translated to Kannada and Tamil and turned into a song.</p>.<p>The play has been staged multiple times and so the narrative has evolved since the first performance, says the director. “We rehearse every month whether there’s a show or not. So we’ve been tweaking and changing things over the past two years. The current ending is also different from the initial version of the play,” he explains.</p>.<p>‘Desdemona Rupakam’, July 29 and 30, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield. Tickets online.</p>
