Retellings

Based on the short stories Asoka and Mother Clan by Sarah Joseph (translated by Vasanthi Sankaranarayan).

Adapted for the stage by Shivani Tibrewala

Directed by Shivani Tibrewala

Cast: Mona Ambegaonkar and Ahlam Khan
Language: English
Duration: 60 minutes

Synopsis:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that ‘history’, ‘irrefutable facts’ or ‘absolute truths’ are nothing more than fiction, stories that change with every telling depending on the perspective of the storyteller. And sometimes people – whole communities, even – get trapped in stories that are not of their own making, stories that misrepresent them to the world…

"Retellings" is an adaptation of Sara Joseph's short stories, Asoka and Mother Clan, and revisits the classic epic text Ramayana from a feminist viewpoint, wherein the playwright Shivani Tibrewala has interwoven two stories, bringing Sita and Surpanakha together in an unprecedented presentation of rivalry and jealousy giving way to sisterly compassion, wherein the story of Ram and Ravana is re-imagined from the women's points of view. As Lanka erupts in flames in the wake of the Aryan invasion, the two women find solace in each other in a culture dominated by a man's understanding of utopia and ethics.


Show History:
The Play, "Retellings" premiered on Saturday 13th March, 7pm
@ Leela: South Asian Women Theatre Festival at Tata Theatre, NCPA.