Hyderabad designer Ganesh Nallary’s play ‘Shikhandi’ bats for gender sensitivity

Ganesh Nallari ‘Shikhandi’ in the play. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Hyderabad -based fashion designer and theater artist Ganesh Nallari says, “It’s not an accident to be quir. It’s not an accident. God made the queues. I wanted the audience to understand it, instead of commenting or comment on a person’s gender.” He recently directed and produced ShikhandiA 12 -minute drama inspired by the character of Mahabharata.

Next to the World Theater Day (27 March), Ganesh said how the society has long ignored the politics of gender dysforia and identity, while the Mahabharata addressed them with nuances. ,Shikhandi Toxic masculinity was born to challenge, not only women but also transgender individuals – was seen only as objects for people with purpose. Shikhandi is one Karan JanmaA life with intentions. ,

In the Mahabharata, Shikhandi is a rebirth of Princess Amba, who was abducted by Bhish. Drupada’s daughter, rebirth as Shikhandini, she undergoes a sex change, fights in Kurukshetra war, and plays an important role in Bhishma’s collapse.

A trained Kuchipudi dancer, Ganesh started in 2012 in theater Currency – silent gestureA deep personal ‘coming out’ story. Since then, his topical theater ventures have often detected queue topics.

A complex story in 12 minutes

A view of ‘Shikhandi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Shikhandi, a low-term character in the epic, conspired to Ganesh for a long time. “I wanted to train as a theater writer and director before taking this story. When the opportunity of a competition arose (skits by Dramanon Hyderabad), I was ready.” challenge? The play had to pay less than 12 minutes. “It was difficult to condensed such a complex story,” he believes.

Ganesh read extensively and referred to Devdutt Pattanic Shikhandi: And other stories they don’t tell youTo praise its clarity. To introduce the unfamiliar young audience from Shikhandi’s story, he structured the play with an initial discussion on the gender, referring to Shiva-Shakti and Vishnu-Mahini. “Line” I am that, he, and everything in the middle sets ‘stage’ before we find Amba’s previous life, death, rebirth, self-respect and revenge, “he explains.

Simple yet impressive

Ganesh Nallari, wave Reddy Sama in ‘Shikhandi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Ganesh focused on making writing accessible. “In Telugu or Sanskrit plays, you can weave Shlokus And adopt a different approach. But for a small English drama, the language had to be simple, bold and relative. ,

A scene where Eba repeatedly affects her frustration after rejection, she is a touch of satire, but Ganesh avoided finishing it for a comic effect. He also introduced which version of Shikhandi’s story to choose from. “There are variations – an Javanis (Indonesian) account also suggests that Shikhandi was briefly married to Arjuna. There are also different interpretations of the garland given by Karthikeya. I chose the most widely recognized Indian version.”

Ganesh played Sutradhar (Narrator) and many important brief parts, while Laverika Reddy Sama played Amba and title character. Ganesh handled costumes and set designs. The costumes came from her individual wardrobe, which had additional outfits designed by her studios. Props were rebuilt to keep the cost low.

Shikhandi The recently held Dramanon Hyderabad’s skits competition was the runner-up for ‘Best Original Script’ and the second runner-up for ‘Audience Choice Best Play’. Beyond the awards, Ganesh found that the audience members want to know more about Shikhandi’s story. He expects it to develop it in a full-length game in the near future.