BWW Previews: SHIKHANDI - A PLAY ON THE MYTHOLOGICAL TRANSGENDER CHARACTER Is Back On Stage
By: Zofeen Maqsood Apr. 04, 2018
While Indian society may have been regressive in its approach on accepting varying gender identities, ironically if we look at our myths and legends we would get ample examples of alternate sexuality.
One such very famous story from the annals of Indian mythology which also saw a screen presence in the mega popular TV series Mahabharata was the story of Shikhandi - a transgender character who played such an important role in one of the most legendary mythological tales in India.
Shikhandi's story has been retold on stage before too and received rave reviews. It will now see the stage re-enactment again and the public interest in the tale is already swelling. After its grand opening in March last year, the play has travelled across cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Goa and will be back in Mumbai.
Shikhandi-The Story of the In-betweens is a brave story to be told on stage.
The writer and director of the show Faezeh Jalali says "The response to the play has been fantastic. We're back in Mumbai after 7 months, so do catch the show if you haven't. "
Synopsis :
Shikhandi is perhaps one of the earliest transgender characters known in history/mythology. She appears in the Mahabharata and plays a crucial part in winning the battle of Kurukshetra for the Pandavas. Shikhandi was meant to be born male to avenge an insult in her past life as Amba.
But the bigger karmic game unfolds when she is reborn female, raised male, has a sex change on her wedding night when she runs away to the forest (thanks to a Yaksha), and finally fulfills her destiny - to be the cause of Bhishma's death. A comic, tongue-in-cheek, retelling of the story of Shikhandi, mixing traditional Indian storytelling and contemporary English verse, and questioning gender, sexuality, maleness, femaleness and everything in between, the play was runner-up at the Sultan Padamsee Playwriting Awards 2016.
Staging at the NCPA from 12th April to 15th April
Shikhandi - The Story of the In-betweens
English Play (90 mins)
Experimental Theatre
Thursday, 12th April to Saturday, 14th April -7.30 pm
Sunday, 15th April- 4.00 pm & 7.30 pm
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