Rebel Ranis: How four powerful women from Indian epics reclaim their stories

Some women from our epics have been remembered more for what they did to the story than for what the story did to them. Kaikeyi is blamed, Draupadi is defined by her trauma, Karaikal Ammaiyar by her rejection of the body and Sita by her gentleness. Rebel Ranis turns the gaze around, asking what these women might reveal when seen on their own terms, through dance, theatre and live music, the production brings these four figures together. Indulge Express speaks to Aneesha Grover, Harini Iyer, Amrita Sivakumar and Nandita Kalaan about stepping into these familiar stories and finding something less familiar within them.

Aneesha Grover — Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi is so often reduced to the woman who ‘caused’ the Ramayana’s crisis. Why do you think she deserved to be seen differently?

Going back to different versions of the Ramayana changed my understanding of Kaikeyi. I began seeing her as a woman negotiating her identity, promises, power and place in a changed world. She isn’t simply a villain; her choices have been judged differently from those of the men around her, and I wanted to ask why.

Harini Iyer — Draupadi

As a musician performing live in the show, how are you using rhythm, sound and improvisation to bring out a side of Draupadi that words alone can not?

Draupadi has such a powerful, fiery presence. I channel Draupadi’s anger and frustration through my body and voice. Singing is how I express myself best, so it’s an honour to represent such an intense character through music.

Amrita Sivakumar — Karaikal Ammaiyar

Karaikal Ammaiyar gives up the very things women are traditionally told make them desirable — beauty, the body, even conventional femininity. What did inhabiting her make you question about those expectations?

She made me question what we actually mean by beauty. She lets go of the identity society considers beautiful and desirable, and what remains is her devotion, conviction and sense of self. There’s power in not needing to be admired or validated, but simply being who you are.

Nandita Kalaan — Sita

What was the most liberating part of playing a Sita who doesn’t have to be gentle?

The most freeing part was not having to soften her power to make it palatable for the audience. She knows who she is and doesn’t need anyone’s permission to be powerful.

September 27, 7 pm. At Royal Opera House, Mumbai.

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