HYDERABAD: “I picked up my camera and zoomed in. What I saw shook me a funeral for a girl who had been brutally raped and murdered,” said a journalist, her voice trembling as tears rolled down her face.
She was hiding in the forest, risking everything to expose the truth and protect other women. Little did she know that in her pursuit of justice, she would end up living the same nightmare she was capturing — a victim herself, broken inside but alive to tell the tale. The haunting imagery left the audience in silence, many wiping away tears in the dark at Lamakaan.
‘I Don’t Move… I Don’t Scream…’ was a play staged by Shudrka Hyderabad Shilpitirtha Trust and inspired by Franca Rame’s ‘The Rape’. The production, directed and adapted by Swapan Mondal, explores the brutality and humiliation faced by women who have endured sexual violence.
The protagonist, played with heart-wrenching intensity by Souravi Ray, doesn’t just portray the pain of physical violation but also shines a light on the deeper dehumanisation victims face.
“Franca Rame’s play was rooted in the Italian context of its time, but we’ve adapted it to reflect the realities of Indian society today, while staying true to its essence,” explained Swapan.
The story follows a journalist who receives a tip about the rape of a young girl — a case that everyone, from the local authorities to society, is desperate to cover up. Determined to uncover the truth, she risks everything to gather evidence that could spark change and prevent another girl from becoming just another forgotten statistic.
As the story unfolds, the play digs deeper into society’s attitudes toward rape and the treatment of survivors. It lays bare the harsh reality — women who survive such violence are not just physically violated but often forced to prove their suffering to a skeptical society.
Even those closest to them can turn away, becoming judgmental and distant. This is rape — the most brutal form of hate crime against women, perpetuated not just by individuals but often enabled by societal and systemic indifference.
For Souravi Ray, playing the protagonist is both a challenge and a responsibility. “I connect with the character not just as a woman but as a human being. It’s impossible not to imagine the pain, but as an actor, I have to maintain a continued balance. If I let the character consume me, I’d freeze on stage, and affect the performance.
It is my duty to be a performer and an observer of my own self, at the same time. I need to ensure that I am doing my acting truthfully but also remember that it is an imaginary circumstance — the performance is of importance,” she said.
With raw emotion and unflinching honesty, ‘I Don’t Move… I Don’t Scream…’ holds up a mirror to society, forcing the audience to confront the horrifying realities women face and the collective silence that often allows such atrocities to continue. More than a play, it’s a call for empathy, awareness, and, above all, change.