Speak up, act

Moments from the play

Who is a rapist? How do you make a rapist from a well-meaning person? Is the potential to rape a deep-rooted perversion? How does one gauge a perpetrator's intent? Playwright and actor Makarand Deshpande's upcoming play, Balatkar Please Stop It!, intends to ask questions that drum up uneasiness. He says, "The purpose is not only to rouse audiences to a social vice writ large, but also stir antsy emotions amongst actors. The initiation of a flurry of feelings within a group can perhaps scout around for reactions to rape within a family."

Balatkar Please Stop It!

Emerging within a circular narrative - a play within a play - the two-act drama will witness actors getting uncomfortable when rape is broached as a topic of discussion.

Deshpande reckons the subject of rape in literary and performative arts can help bring about change. The theatre director who has staged plays like Sir Sir Sarla, Chitra, Seema Badnaam Hai shares that he has dwelled on the concept of ‘woman and womanhood' since 1998: "Long ago, I wrote a play titled Kasturi. It dealt with a woman's struggle of coming to terms with her gender and sexuality."

Makarand Deshpande

His perusal of similar real-world struggles and the factors that enable them culminates in the piece. Despite evident instances of injustice, our collective response to rape often shies away from strong verbs. "Someone asked me to drop the term, ‘balatkar', from the title. But, I mean for it to be there. While our act uses black humour to numb viewers, it does so with its eye set on sensitivity," the director informs, adding that he chose the live medium of theatre as it holds both audiences and actors accountable to every living moment. He believes art can leave a significant imprint in our subconscious and make way for a saner reality.

On: May 14, 6 pm and 9 pm at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church Road, Janki Kutir, Juhu
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Cost: Rs 500