It began with a casual ‘yes’. That’s what staging 99 Women, a theatre project penned by French author Geneviève Flaven, in Pune started with. “Geneviève and I have known each other for long. Sometime back, I saw pictures of her play production in Shanghai (China) online. Once she casually asked if I’d like to bring the play to India and I said, ‘why not?’ At that point of time, I didn’t estimate the magnitude of the project.It has only begun to sink in now.” quips Sonali Kothari, social worker, who has produced and directed the play back home. Being presented in Pune and India for the first time, the play has 99 women, delivering monologues telling one story at a time, of womanhood and its various aspects onstage.
From the word go, the journey was organic. Originally in French, Sonali and Geneviève adapted the play to suit the Indian scenario. “There are stories from across the world; historical events, fairy tales, ones based on Geneviève’s imagination and the women she admires. While we’ve retained the essence of the stories, we’ve adapted situations, names and locations that Indian viewers are adept with. We’ve included stories like that of Meena, which has been inspired by the Meenakshi Temple,” Sonali shares, adding that the play comprises seven themes, including presence, dissonance, imposture and vertigo, to drive the message home. “Imposture, for example, talks of feminism and power gain; how women have to often wear masks to match up to men in society. Dissonance, on the other hand, talks about the conflict and need for a woman to find balance between her intellectual and sexual needs post marriage. There’s something for everyone,” Sonali adds.
Watch the teaser of the play:

But the beauty of the play perhaps lies in the fact that Sonali, who has no formal training in theatre, worked with a mammoth cast of 87 women from different backgrounds, the youngest being 15 and the oldest, 65. “Of these, 75 had never been on stage before. On the face of it, the story and characters appeared very simple. But as I re-read the play, there were several layers beneath the simplicity. To communicate this to my actors, we held lots of workshops ranging from working with spaces to voice modulation and personal reflections to give one’s character more flesh. Many felt that these workshops helped bring out a side of them they never knew existed. Regular people with no theatre experience were now acting, dancing and bonding over theatre,” says Sonali, recalling keeping the characterisation process democratic. “Members each pitched in with how they thought their character looked and behaved. There were also cases where members came forward, asking to play characters that behaved in complete contrast to how they are in real life,” she recalls.
So, who are the real heroes in the end? The 99 women in the play or the amateur artistes essaying them? “It would be my cast members, without a doubt! The play will begin and end, but the transformation these women underwent over the past five months will stay forever. And that is where I believe my reward as a director lies,” smiles Sonali, signing off.
Why ‘99’?
“One will discover 99 women, but not all women – because feminity escapes any attempt of a fixed definition. They will hear 99 episodes of their existence, at times funny, trivial and touching, but not all their lives – because every life counts more days and turns. 99 is not a round figure. It is meant to denote between words, what is unaccomplished and remains being said.”
– Genevieve Flaven, author
Watch: 99Women Pune - Empowering Women through Theatre