Theatre artiste Sunanda Raghunathan of Guduguduppukkari brings Bad Hindu play to Chennai

Guduguduppukkari’s Bad Hindu portrays a stirring battle of identities through a solo act 
Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad Hindu
Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad Hindu

Theatre artiste Sunanda Raghunathan’s upcoming play, Bad Hindu, for Chennai-based theatre group Guduguduppukkari, has multiple inspirations and influences, some from mythology and spirituality and some from a few performing art traditions in Tamil Nadu. The name itself can raise a few eyebrows, but the director (who is also the solo actor in this play), allays all possible concerns by saying that the name of the play was inspired by mankind’s general 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 play’s story is also inspired by a mythological story of Aravan, a character in the Mahabharata. 

Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad HIndu
Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad HIndu

Sunanda chose to develop this show as a part of her presentation for her final MA project during her course in the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships, conducted by the British Council. “The last time I had gone to London was to pursue MA in Literature at the University of Westminster 15 years ago,” she informs, adding, “I chose the story of Bad Hindu to dissect the constructed nature of identity and the performative aspect of identity.” The play’s style incorporates a mix of kathai koothu and storytelling, we learn. “I was inspired by the role of kattiyakaaran in Koothu, 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 kattai koothu artiste.  

Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad HIndu
Sunanda Raghunathan in Bad HIndu

Bad Hindu is the story is of a “kattiyakaari (storyteller) who welcomes the audience into what is scheduled to be an eight-hour kattai koothu performance of Aravan’s sacrifice, when somebody unexpected interrupts the show.” The play then goes on to portray negotiations about who retains the right to tell the stories, she tells us. Sunanda has collaborated with designer Priyanjoli Basu, who has designed the costumes for her, while B Charles of Chennai Art Theatre has taken care of the lights. As for the music, expect Tamil songs inspired by the art form itself. “Most of them are based on the original kattai koothu 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. 

At Alliance Française of Madras. November 25. 4 pm and 7.30 pm. Tickets at Rs. 200 available online. 

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