Evolving over a decade, Aditya Rawal’s playwriting debut offers an insight into the conflict of love, loss, and identity in the age of empire
Puja Sarup as Queen Durga during the premiere of the show at Prithvi Theatre. Pics Courtesy/72°East Production
The American philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville once warned that individuality could cause people to ‘sever themselves from the mass of his fellow creatures’. Perhaps, this is why it can be both freeing and dangerous. “We find ourselves in a place where speaking up has consequences,” reflects Aditya Rawal. The 32-year-old actor-writer is in the midst of preparing for the next run of his play, The Queen, at the Prithvi Theatre this weekend.
If the surname sounds familiar, it is because he is the son of celebrated actors, Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat, and recently won his first Filmfare for Best Debut in Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz (2022). Rawal began writing the play during his time at New York University. Knowing his legacy, it almost feels inevitable that he grew up in and around theatre; although it was football that kept him going through college in Mumbai. Having worked on the script through his time at New York University, Rawal opened the play at the Theater for the New City, New York in 2016. It travelled with him, till the production read a new version at Prithvi Festival Fringe in 2024, followed by a premiere at the Prithvi Festival earlier this month.
(From left) Puja Sarup, Dheer Hira and Danish Husain
The story centres on Queen Durga of Banasvan, a small fictional kingdom in 1585 India. Yet, director Daniel D’Souza explains, “At its heart, it is a family drama that expands to larger themes.” The king, Amar, has taken a new wife and relegated Queen Durga from the court. But facing the choice of either joining Emperor Akbar against his own clansmen, or opposing them in battle, he turns to his trusted queen for help to craft a strategy. Durga now has the opportunity to reassert her own individuality amidst political turmoil.
The set design by Shaira Kapoor uses flowing curtains and detailed props to embody the space and grandeur of a medieval palace
This carries the lingering influence of classics like the infamous Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s famed play, but Rawal points to another famous work — Euripedes’ Medea. The origin of the play, perhaps justly then, was an exploration of a complex break-up that, he witnessed, had “rage and guilt, but also a deep love.”
D’Souza explains that this leads into the themes in the plotline, “There are two key themes: firstly, the question of standing up for your own individuality. The second is that of the longing, loss, and the human fear of losing relevance and dignity.”
Daniel D’Souza (left) and Aditya Rawal during a discussion
The cast is led by Puja Sarup in the role of Queen Durga, with Danish Husain leading the supporting cast. But D’Souza mentions the set design and sound ambience as a key supporting aspect. “With Shaira [Kapoor], it was a collaborative effort to create a scene where the audience is transported, but not alienated,” he reveals. To achieve this, the production turned to the smart use of detailed metal arches contrasted by soft curtains that provide the illusion of grandeur and space.
With the play set to travel to Bengaluru for the BLR Hubba Festival in January 2026, and later to Delhi, the production has come a long way. “I feel like we are just starting,” says Rawal.
ON December 6; 5 pm and 8 pm
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