BENGALURU: For Prakash Belawadi, literature, especially in his mother tongue Kannada, holds a treasure trove of stories waiting to be transformed for the stage. “There’s something special about taking a work from the page and giving it new life through theatre, film, or audio,” he explains.
“These stories become part of our living culture, not just something you have to pick up a book to experience,” he adds. This vision led him to adapt Kannada writer SL Bhyrappa’s seminal novel Parva into a magnum opus at Rangayana Mysore a few years ago. Later this month, an English language version of the adaptation will be staged in the city.
Often considered Bhyrappa’s greatest work, Parva is a realistic retelling of the familiar story of the epic Mahabharata, eschewing the divine elements of the epic to focus on the psychological and ethical complexities of its characters. Women, often relegated to the margins of the Mahabharata, receive a powerful re-centering in the story. The conflicts between the Pandavas and the Kauravas are seen as more than a battle of good versus evil;it’s about ambition, choices and their far-reaching consequences.
“The biggest challenge is managing expectations,” Belawadi admits. “Think of how many times the Mahabharata has been adapted. Each interpretation is different. As a playwright, you take a suitable element of something larger and shape it for the stage, where the audience experiences it in real-time.” Faced with the sheer magnitude of the source material, Belawadi has made bold choices with the adaptation. One such is casting a woman as Krishna. “Theatre allows for experimentation,” he says, adding, “I wanted to highlight Krishna’s compassionate qualities rather than aiming for a literal representation. Thankfully, audiences have embraced these creative choices.”
The eight-hour-long play will be performed in five acts with four intervals. It features set design by art director Shashidhar Adapa, costumes by designer Sankeerthi Aipanjiguly with consultancy by fashion guru Prasad Bidapa.
(Parva will be staged at JN Tata Auditorium, CV Raman Road on May 11 & 12 at 10am. Tickets priced at Rs 750 onwards on bookmyshow.com)