A solo play exploring age, agency and forgiveness in Bengaluru

By Sravasti Datta

We’ve all faced moments when we feel wronged, and wondered whether to seek revenge or offer forgiveness. This tension is at the heart of Ashiqa Salvan’s latest solo performance, Aunty Moxie is Delulu. “The play follows Aunty Moxie, a 60-year-old woman navigating these dilemmas, set against the contrasting ideas of Ganga, the goddess of forgiveness, and Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge,” says Ashiqa.
‘PEOPLE OFTEN STRUGGLE TO FIND RESOLUTION IN DAILY LIFE’
Ashiqa, who has written and directed the play, says the protagonist is not based on any particular person but on her general observation about how people, communities and even countries feel wronged at injustices. “Nowadays, people are more aware of their personal agency, yet they often find it difficult to allow themselves resolutions in everyday situations, even with simple things,” she says. “I have placed Aunty Moxie in a Bombay setting, where there are a lot of old houses that are on the verge of collapse. The buildings are no longer fully functional, yet many elderly people still live in them. At the same time, developers and landowners want to demolish these houses for profit. But what about these elderly people, for whom their homes are their entire world?,” she explains the significance of the setting.
‘SOCIETY OFTEN DISMISSES THE ELDERLY AS PEOPLE WITH NO REAL AGENCY’
“The title of the play, Aunty Moxie is Delulu is paradoxical as it is about an elderly woman, but the term ‘delulu’ is a Gen Z slang for delusion. The title reflects how society often dismisses the elderly as people with no real agency or as irrelevant, making them appear delusional. “Especially single older women. What they say is rarely paid attention to, both because of their gender and their age,” Ashiqa shares.