Four women tell their stories in their own ways. The characters, languages, accents, social and geographical locations are different, but their voices emerge from a unified feminine frame. It is not just the aroma of freshly baked bread that wafts through the narratives, but each brings up complex questions on multiple sides of a single story. These are sequences from something like truthDirected by Parna Pethe and staged at the recently concluded Ranga Shankara Theater Festival.
The play is based on popular playwright Shanta Gokhale Truth and Justice: Four MonologuesIt featured catchy movement sequences (designed by Maitreyi Joshi) and harmonious live music (directed and performed by Aabha Soumitra, who has also co-written the lyrics with Sheetal Sathe). Good performances from Ashwini Giri, Dusha, Kalyani Mulay and Sharvari Deshpande brought to life the stories of people from 19th century France, India in 2002 and Sri Lanka in 2009.
All four women told their story in their own way. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The play revolves around the characters of Mary, a cleaning lady who is instrumental in wrongly accusing Captain Alfred Dreyfus of treason. Dreyfus’s story is told by his wife Lucie, who quotes playwright Shanta: “Alfred Dreyfus lived 40 years and France never forgave him for what he did to her.”
Closer to home, Zamira’s story highlights how a witness can become an accused. While the truth remains elusive, a witness is taken prisoner.
“With ‘Best Bakery’ being the human story at the center of the tragedy”, the playwright chose to delve deeper into Zaheera Shaikh (primarily a witness in the ‘Best Bakery’ case and later jailed for perjury), “what she was thinking about herself, society and the law during her captivity.” Zamira, the fictional character who narrates Zaheera’s story in the play, says she “feels safe for the first time in her life in prison.”
Lasantha Wickramatunge, a Sri Lankan journalist, predicted his death at the hands of the government he opposed in an article titled ‘And Then They Came for Me’. Published posthumously, this writing becomes a lens through which to examine the lack of press freedom in contemporary India.
Director Parna Pethe Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It was challenging to balance “simplicity with emotional truth while allowing the words to breathe,” says Perna, talking about the collaborative process in which “movement and music became integral partners.” Speaking about the play’s relevance, she says, “At a time when public discussion often reduces complex identities to slogans or binaries and truth seems uncertain, the characters in this play remind us of the power of listening. It invites us to see the truth, not as something forceful or absolute, but as something tender, layered, and deeply human.”
The handmade zine supplied with the play tickets (collaboratively designed by Rucha Satur, Alok Rajwade and Akshata), matches well with the set design by Sampada Gejji. Perna says, “The zine was conceived as an extension of the play, where we wanted to give a concise idea of the events in the play. It contains photographs, notes and reflections from those events. Printed in a simple, handmade format, it invites the audience to stop, touch and remember.”
something like truth Have traveled to many places in rural and urban India. According to Parna, the responses have been overwhelming. “It felt like it reached them on a deeply personal level. Even when the language wasn’t completely understood, the emotions and experiences resonated.” Many women came to share their stories. That has been the most inspiring part of this journey,” she shares.
published – November 25, 2025 05:35 PM IST