If the makeup does not pique your curiosity enough, the title definitely will. Chennai-based theatre artiste
Sunandha Raghunathan
’s
Bad Hindu
is poised to make its maiden show in Bengaluru this month, and it’s already stirring up some interest in the city. A
Guduguduppukkari
presentation, the performance focuses on the concept of identity, or perhaps, the crisis of it.
It is a
Kattai Koothu
(traditional
Tamil theatre
) performance, which is devised and performed by Sunandha. In
Bad Hindu, Sunandha assumes the role of a storyteller – a
kattiyakaari, meaning a
sutradhar. She re-narrates the tale of Aravan’s (the god of transgender) sacrifice from the
Mahabharata. “I play the role of a
kattiyakaari, who tells the story of Aravan. But in the process, my story also gets merged with it and my credentials also come into focus. The makeup I wear in the show is inspired by how Brihannala from the Mahabharata is essayed in
Kattai Koothu. Arjuna goes by the name of Brihannala when he hides in the kingdom of Virata. Urvashi’s ancient curse emasculates Arjuna, and he lives as a female dance teacher in Virata. The makeup highlights the half-man and half-woman identity of Brihannala. As this play foregrounds the identity of Aravan, I chose to co-opt the makeup to signpost identity further,” Sunandha explains.
Although traditional
Kattai Koothu goes on for eight hours,
Bad Hindu – which is scheduled to be held at Atta Galatta (on April 27) and at The Courtyard (on April 28) – is a 70-minute performance.
Giving a little insight into what led to the beginning of the play, Sunandha says, “It all started when I was studying in the UK in 2018, and I was constantly subjected to the misconceptions that people have about Indian culture and traditions.” It was originally performed by Sunandha as part of her MA in Text and Performance at Birkbeck College and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London last year. She took this though further and
Bad Hindu had its Indian premiere in Chennai in November 2018. “The play subverts the labels we place on ourselves and scrutinises the nature of identity and its construction,” she adds.
Why the title Bad Hindu… 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 out of our reach because, we sin and so we are reborn to give us another shot at this unattainable goal. But we are derailed once again by our own actions and are reborn again and this cycle continues endlessly. The form of this show inspired the title – with its idea of a reset at the end of each attempt to tell Aravan’s story, the performer’s goal mimics the goal of every Hindu.
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