VYALIKAVAL: The city will soon catch Chutzpah, a story of seven women of varying age groups who share their journey into power and selfhood with the audience. This 90 minute musical satire is an original work written by Sharmin Ali. At a time when gender questions are being addressed more frequently, the play celebrates the latent power of all women. Says a spokesperson for the play, “One doesn’t need to be a Benazir Bhutto or a Malala or a Kiran Bedi or an Ekta Kapoor. It is enough to let go off inhibitions and own your own power. The day a woman realizes her worth, no man or woman would ever be able to ill-treat her.”
The play is performed by Annie George, Dimpy Fadhya, Shatarupa Bhattacharya, Sushma, Nakshatra, Divya Mohan, Harshitha Bhasker and Sharmin Ali herself. It is directed by Manoj Kumar Kalaivanan.
Says Sharmin, “My mother is a lawyer by profession, but quit practice soon after my sister was born. A very major aspect of my father’s job required travelling around the country; hence we got the opportunity to stay all around India. My life seemed pretty normal until the incident that changed the course of my life forever. On February 28, 2002, in a Gujarati town, I woke up to the news of the Godhra episode. As a family, we traversed 25.7 kilometers of sheer misery and fear towards safety and away from rioting mobs. It was destiny perhaps because we had survived the earthquake in Gujarat as well.”
This courage also saw her through episodes of stammering and also find her calling in the arts. This play is her way of finding her voice, yet again.
Chutzpah will be staged
at April 17 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. For more details, call 9910894049