Critically acclaimed play, Bad Hindu, comes to Bengaluru this weekend

Sunandha Raghunathan’s Bad Hindu portrays a stirring battle of identities through a solo act
A scene from the play
A scene from the play

While our perception of what is good and what is bad is entirely subjective, people are always striving to do good, and that’s what the play, Bad Hindu, is trying to explore. The play, which premieres in Bengaluru this weekend, is directed by Chennai-based Sunandha Raghunathan who is part of the Gudugudu pukkari theatre group.

The title of the play might be offensive to a few, however, the director (who is also the solo actor), allays all concerns by explaining that it was inspired by man-kind’s tendency to sin. “In Hinduism, the spiritual goal for every being is for their individual consciousness to merge with universal consciousness, that is to attain salvation or moksha. But, that is tantalisingly out of our reach because we sin. So we are reborn to give us another shot at this unattainable goal, only to be derailed once again by our own actions,” she says, adding that the plot is based on the mythological story of Aravan, a character in the Mahabharata.



Sunanda created this show as part of her presentation for her masters project during her course at the Royal Aca-demy of Dramatic Arts in London. “I chose the story of Bad Hindu to dissect the constructed nature of identity and the performative aspect of identity,” says the Charles Wallace scholar. The play blends the traditional Tamil theatre form and storytelling into a seamless narrative in English. “I was inspired by the role of the storyteller and thought of making a show that juxtaposed Mahabharata with my own life for a Western audience,” she shares, adding that she was trained by Thilagavathi Palani, a kattaikoothu artiste.



The narrative follows the story of a kattiyakaari (female storyteller) who welcomes the audience into
what is scheduled to be an eight-hour kattaikoothu (traditional Tamil theatre) performance of Aravan’s sacrifice, when somebody unexpectedly interrupts the show. At this point, Sunandha weaves her experiences with people from different nationalities in the UK into the narrative. “The script looks at the modern day Aravans all around us,” she adds. As for the music, expect Tamil songs taking cues from the art form itself.

“Most of them are based on the original kattaikoothu form, inspired by the Aravan kalapali (Aravan’s sacrifice to goddess Kali). There are also two new songs (taken from old tunes) with lyrics written specifically for this show by Thilagavathi Palani,” she shares.

Rs 250 upwards. At Atta Galatta, April 27, 7.30 pm. At The Courtyard, Shanti Nagar, April 28, 7.30 pm

karan.pillai@newindianexpress.com
@karan_pillai

ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax

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