When it was originally staged in ’88, the Kannada play Nagamandala was an important milestone in Kannada theatre. Penned by Jnanapith awardee Girish Karnad and drawing upon folklore and myths, the play explores themes such as gender dynamics and is layered with symbolism and metaphors. Often considered one of the most important plays, Nagamandala is being staged once again this weekend at Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts. This happens to be on Karnad’s death anniversary, however, the play will be a celebration of the late thespian’s life and 85th birth anniversary which was on May 19.
Directed by the artistic director of the Bangalore Theatre Company, Arjun Kabbina, the Kannada play will have English subtitles being projected. While Nagamandala has been staged numerous times in various languages from the late ’80s, Kabbina says that the upcoming production will be unlike any other. “Past productions have interpreted the characters in ways other than Karnad intended them to be,” says the veteran dramatist.
Set in rural Karnataka, the play revolves around a young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, who seeks solace in a shape-shifting serpent. It looks into the struggles women face in oppressive relationships and how they choose to escape them. Kabbina adds, “With the play, Karnad wrote three different climaxes, from the perspective of the three main characters. But many previous stage adaptations do not stay faithful to that writing.”
Kabbina was unaware of the play until he came across it during his time at Rangayana, nearly a decade ago. “I had seen the movie, of course, but I didn’t know that it was adapted from a play. I decided to make a team work on it and thankfully, Karnad sir also visited Rangayana for a seminar, and we [the students] were supposed to have a conversation with him. During that seminar, I asked a lot of questions about the way he had written the play and he answered them calmly,” he shares. Due to various factors, it took more than a decade for Kabbina to realise his dream.
“I couldn’t imagine that I would one-day direct Nagamandala, as I’ve always been an actor more than a director. Initially, I struggled with it but my team helped me execute it. I also spoke to former collaborators of Karnad, which helped tremendously,” he concludes.(Nagamandala will be staged on June 9, 10, and 11 at 7 pm, Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts, Kanakapura Road. Tickets priced Rs 500 onwards on bookmyshow.com)