Vulnerable, yet a warrior

A still from the film

When Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's play, Ghosts, was first performed in 1882, he probably didn't imagine that its adaptations would travel far and wide for centuries. In India, theatre actors Ila Arun and KK Raina first staged its Hindi adaptation, Peechha Karti Parchhaiyaan, in 2016. After over 50 successful performances, Arun is now bringing it to the small screen. The drama is set to première on Tata Play Theatre on August 25.

While the original story revolved around the Alving family, director Saurabh Shrivastava has set the teleplay in Rajasthan, with the late Maharaja Kunwar Viraj Bhanu Pratap Singh's family at the centre. Through Arun's character Yashodhara, the story highlights patriarchal traditions and their impact on future generations. Hailing from Rajasthan, Arun brought her own insight into the character. She says, "My inspiration came from Rajasthani women. Like them, my character appears to be graceful and soft, but later on, even at her most vulnerable, she fights for what she loves like a warrior."

Arun not only plays the central character, but has also penned the adaptation. With the play tackling difficult themes of infidelity, incest and assisted suicide, the senior actor says, "There are many things that Yashodhara couldn't possibly have said in a certain era; so on her behalf, I speak up in the play. I have tried to convey that you have to question beliefs that make you weak. Women in every milieu are similar. That's why this play, written so many years ago, is still relevant. When I was writing my character, the woman inside me was angry and wanted justice. Every woman should watch this play, emerge from the shadows and take a stand."