BENGALURU: Technology has now become an essential part of our lives. So much so, that it even plays a role in this upcoming play. Veteran actor Arundhati Nag will be performing Bikhare Bimb, which is a translation of Girish Karnad’s popular play Odakalu Bimba. The play will be performed at Ranga Shankara on April 1 and 2.
The play tells the story of a Kannada writer Manjula Nayak, who becomes an overnight sensation after her English book. This leads to her to question whether she is betraying her own identity and language in the quest for a global audience.
Through this plot, it looks at a dilemma that is faced by many Indian writers who choose to write in English. “It is by far one of the most challenging roles I have had to essay. Bikhre Bimb is an example of avant-garde theatre and narrative. It uses technology as a character, which is interesting. Technology has an entry and an exit in this play,” says Nag.
The play has been translated into Hindi by Padmavati Rao and was first performed in 2006. Directed by Girish Karnad and Kannada film and television director K M Chaitanya, it marked the former’s return to direction after a break of 30 years. Chaitanya says the play starts with Nag speaking to a pre-recorded version of herself on a digital screen.
“Although it’s a one-woman act, the conversation is between two characters. Karnad’s idea was since we live in the time where we are surrounded by various images, it would be interesting to see what happens if our images started questioning us,” explains Chaitanya. The play will be staged on April 1 and 2 at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.