Horoscope It is a monologue that examines how women deal with fear, surveillance, harassment and abuse in contemporary urban India. It brings together three fictional stories drawn from lived experiences that unfold in both public and private spaces. According to its strong theme, Horoscope Structured as an intimate one-woman performance (Preeti Agarwal Mehta) to bridge the divide between audience and performer. In the process, audiences are presented not just as observers but as witnesses and confidants – sometimes confronting their own complicity within the unfolding world.

Taking inspiration from the fierce brilliance of Samuel Beckett not meThe production expects audiences to remain vigilant rather than watch in isolation. The soloist, Preeti, presents multiple characters through changes in posture, voice and movement, supported by a live musical score including piano, strings and hand percussion that shapes the rhythm of the narrative as much as the spoken word. Mohit says, “Preeti, whose perspective as a 24-year-old mother of a child brought a completely new emotional understanding to the work. Working with her inspired us to rework certain parts of the play and reinvent the material in new ways.”

Designed for intimate venues and small audiences, the idea for the play came from years of observation. “While studying at Delhi University and working in theatre, I was constantly around conversations, rehearsals, gatherings and friendships, where I saw how women often went through the same spaces in very different ways from men. There was always an invisible burden that they carried simply because they were women. What stayed with me even more was how little resolution or justice seemed to come out of many of these experiences,” said director Mohit Mukherjee. Horoscope. Desiring to respond to these realities through theatre, Mohit was aware of the limitations of telling such stories as a man. “I didn’t want to pretend to have an experience that wasn’t mine,” he said. That’s why it became important to bring a female co-writer, Ananya Jain, into the process.

The first act starts off as a simple race through the city, but slowly turns into something deeply disturbing. “The character feels like she is being watched, followed and constantly unsafe. Whether the danger is real or partly imaginary is never made entirely clear. What matters is that the fear is real. It becomes exhausting, exhausting and yet oddly normalized within the experience of walking around a city as a woman.”

The second act shifts to the private space of the home, where violence is quieter and more difficult to name. According to Mohit, “It exists in pauses, silences, and things left unsaid. The audience is placed in an uncomfortable position where they witness the emotional and physical abuse happening in front of them, while also feeling trapped by their inability or unwillingness to intervene.”

A woman’s performance is accompanied by live music. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The final act examines the aftermath of abuse through the barrage of advice, judgment, and moral policing that often surrounds survivors. Mohit said, “The audience is slowly told what might have happened, but the big focus remains on the social conditioning that teaches people to shame, doubt, and correct instead of listening.”

None of the stories are based on sensational dialogues or extraordinary situations. Much of what has been said is an echo of phrases we hear in everyday life. “That familiarity is what makes the world Horoscope Disturbing.”

One of The Play Factory’s earlier productions, patriarchyExplores a business family in Kolkata through three generations of men and co-created with Sameera Gupta. She later made One BHK, which looked at the life of a working woman in an urban city and was deeply connected to Sameera’s life experiences.

seeds for Horoscope The story was sown sometime in 2020 when Mohit came across a news report about sexual assault in a village in Haryana. “What shocked me was not only the violence, but also the reaction of the two elderly women of the village, who blamed the victim and talked about her clothes as if they had invited the crime. That moment stayed with me for a long time.” From there the research began, listening and collecting snippets of stories, conversations and experiences.

Music has always been central to Mohit’s work. Growing up, he was deeply influenced by many films such as ET extra-terrestrial, harry potter, start, black panther And oppenheimerand by composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson. “Whenever I imagine a narrative, usually the first thing I listen to is the music. I start by thinking about the emotional rhythm of the piece. Then come questions of instruments, live or recorded sound, and whether the world needs a singer.”

For HoroscopeThe music never allows the audience to completely relax. Deepak on drums and cajon, accompanied by Ashim on handpan, create an atmosphere of constant tension and uneasiness. Yusra’s Hindustani singing brings a soulful sense of compassion to the play, while Anil Chawla moves effortlessly on the keys to complement the pop, rock, jazz and Hindustani folk music. Additionally, the contributions of Shamim, one of India’s leading puppeteers, to the scenario, puppet design and shadow work add depth and texture to the production.

Each performance is followed by interactive discussions that encourage audiences to consider issues of gender, security, voyeurism, collusion and social conditioning. He said, “These post-show discussions come from a simple belief that there is no value in telling stories if they remain confined to the theater. If we simply watch injustice without questioning or intervening, we gradually become complicit in the systems that allow it to continue.”

The long-term vision of the project is to continually adapt and expand, incorporating stories, feedback and experiences collected through participatory workshops. “because the question Horoscope Mohit said, “I can’t stand still.”

published – May 11, 2026 06:51 PM IST