The D words

Today, we live in a world of deconstructing labels and questioning social mores based on arbitrary moral codes. But women are still fighting an uphill battle in trying to define themselves and live their lives without being pigeonholed into one or the other category. As a response to this, actor, writer and director Rasika Agashe is bringing her solo theatrical act Stand up *with D girls, wherein she plays ten different characters tacking ten different labels often put on women based on their behaviour. “The solo act is performed in a standup style. Generally people label women in different boxes so I am playing ten such ‘labelled’ boxes which all start from the letter D – some of them are desperate, Dalit, drunk and so on,” says Agashe, who is also known for her compelling roles in shows like Scoop.

Through these ten distinct characters, Agashe aims to explore the complex realities of women’s lives. The show is a unique blend of theatre and standup, a format Agashe chose deliberately. “This is the only genre right now that we are able to speak up without fear. Through standup, I talk about my personal experiences. I try to explore that despite sometimes coming from privileged backgrounds, women don’t have any privilege,” highlights Agashe.

The script, which is Agashe’s first solo written play, took three to four months, from inspirations from other writers and poets like Jeelani Bano. “The inspiration behind this play is that it has become so common to hear some news about atrocities on women every day that we have stopped reacting to it,” she shares, adding, “I just wanted to shake myself a little and I thought we should do this with the audience also.” Drawing extensively from her own life, including her interfaith marriage with Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Agashe describes the experience as both ‘tricky’ and ‘really good fun’, hoping that the audience will relate to it.

Talking about the biggest challenge of writing a solo act, Agashe says, “I believe that all of us have a lot of people inside us who want to tell their stories. While it can be a beautiful thing to put them on paper, it is also equally challenging.”

Coming to Bengaluru for the first time, Agashe hopes that the audience doesn’t mistake her theatrical act for a standup show. “It’s a humorous take and obviously there are some places where you will be forced to think but there is a humorous quality throughout the performance,” she says, emphasising the blend of humour and gravity that characterises the show.

INR 300. May 19, 7.30 pm. At Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.