A travelling multi-lingual production offers a new interpretation of the classical Ashtanayikas in a contemporary feminist narrative
(From left) An 18th Century Rajasthani miniature painting depicting the Khandita Nayika; a depiction by Deepa D on stage during the performance in Delhi. Pics Courtesy/Deep Design; Wikimedia Commons
Sometimes, it is the simplest question that can reveal the fundamental insight. For this writer, it arrives in the middle of a cross examination. “You realise that the Natyashastra was written from the male perspective?” asks Deepa D, producer and creator of the production, 8. The number represents the title of the multi-lingual performance that is travelling across 10 cities this month. Their show at an Andheri venue tomorrow, is part of the penultimate leg.
A miniature depicting the kalahantrita nayika
“Since childhood, my performance has been rooted in the classical idiom,” shares Deepa, who learnt Bharatanatyam with icon Geeta Chandran, and performed alongside her. Yet, as a queer feminist, she refused to adhere to the traditional orthodoxy that often rules the classical stage. “But as a classical dancer, I was always fascinated by the Ashtanayikas. This idea fermented within me for over a decade,” she shares.
Nayika redux
(From left) Deepika Karthik Kumar, Charu Hariharan, Bindhumalini, and Gurupriya Atreya discuss during a compositional session
Growing up in Delhi, Deepa moved to Minnesota in the early 2000s to study contemporary dance, and lighting design at the University of Minneapolis. On her return, she began assisting and working with Sanjukta Wagh, but found a professional footing with lighting design. “I am known in the industry [film and theatre] as a lighting designer. It is a comparatively easier way to make a living,” she laughs.
It was not till her move to Pune, and an application to the Adishakti Theatrical Fellowship in 2023 that her journey began. “It was for a one-person showcase, and I sent it in. It was accepted, and awarded a scholarship,” the 46-year-old shares. It won the fellowship that funded its experimentations further, and premiered in 2024.
Bindhumalini at a recording session and A view of the interactive projections that will accompany the performances. Pic Courtesy/Paras Tilak
The performance is a complex one that uses cultural idioms to raise questions, with Deepa performing the stories of eight characters across eight languages. “I am speaking in dialogue with the idea of the Ashtanayikas, but also pushing back against it”, she explains.
Though established in the Indian classical idiom, the nayikas are classified by a male perspective, Deepa adds. “For instance, take the Kalahantrita — the squabbling lover. She is commonly portrayed as someone who quarrels over the suspicion of her lover’s infidelity, and repents. To me, she is a woman acting in her best interests against a man who might not be entirely innocent, yet she carries a self-regret that stems from her knowledge of society’s judgement and bias.”
Diverse voices
The performative aspect apart, the show also brings to the fore music and songs as a key form of expression. With singers Bindhumalini, Charu Hariharan, Deepika Karthik Kumar, and Gurupriya Atreya forming the quartet Naal Per, Naal Vidam (Tamil for Four people, Four Styles), the compositions were plentiful. Mumbai-based producer Vinayak Netke provided the layering to bring it all together. “I sourced and focussed on female lyricists because we have a long tradition of women performing in traditional arts, but few female composers,” the producer adds.
These lyricists came from across time, history, and languages. The works of poets Kamala Das, the 18th Century Tanjore poet and courtesan Muddupalani; the Malayalam trans poet, Vijayaraja Mallika, and the contemporary English verses of Minal Hajratwala were added to the expressions.
“I am not a professional musician, and was approaching it from the perspective of expression. One fabulous piece is the use of Ovis in Marathi [set to the background score of kitchen instruments, grindmills by Charu Hariharan]. It is for Khandita, the enraged heroine. They are such hilarious and furious verses of women sharing their ire about their male partner’s failings, in the kitchen,” Deepa reveals. To push the envelope further, these ovis are set to a hip-hop rhythm, to sync with the movement of the grinding mill.
In the week of Navratri, when the goddesses take over from the usual male pantheon of divinity, it seems only appropriate. “I am not negating them [the Ashtanayikas], but reinterpreting their definition,” Deepa concludes.
ON September 25; 8.30 pm
AT Rangshila Theatre, Aram Nagar Part 1, Versova, Andheri West.
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