QUEER TALES FROM HINDU LORE
Faezeh Jalali’s upcoming play explores a story from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, which has defied the gender binary for centuries
While most of us are familiar with the main characters from the epic Mahabharata, few are aware of the story of Shikhandi, one of the earliest known transgender characters in Indian mythology. The story in several retellings of Mahabharata goes thus: Shikhandi was a warrior in the Kurukshetra war and was female at birth. She was raised as a male by King Drupada and married to the princess of Dasharna. On the night of the wedding, she fled into the forest and met a Yaksha, who helped her become a man. She remained a man until her death at the battle, where she helped defeat Bhishma.
The award-winning theatre director and actor Faezeh Jalali’s upcoming play, Shikhandi — The Story Of The In-Betweens uses this episode from the epic to question gender, sexuality and identity in today’s context. “Shikhandi is one of the lesser-known characters, but plays a crucial part in winning the battle of Kurukshetra for the Pandavas. Shikhandi was meant to be born a male to avenge an insult in her past life as Amba,” says Jalali, adding, “The play works on the sense of being in between not just in terms of gender, but contemporary versus traditional, mortal world versus gods, and anything that is in between. We like to think in black and white but we are all in a grey area [in all aspects of our lives].”
EPIC CONNECT
Jalali, who has written and directed the play, shares that she first came across this story while reading the Mahabharata and then rediscovered it in Indian author Devdutt Pattanaik’s book, The Pregnant King. The story stuck with her, and she went on to write the play on it. It was a runner-up at the Sultan Padamsee Playwriting Awards 2016. Prior to the play’s premiere in the city, Jalali says, “I’ve retained the original story. There are variations, but the basic story line is that Shikhandi was Amba in her past life and she’s born a male. She is discovered to be a female on her wedding night and runs off to the forest. Yaksha decides to give her the male reproductive organ, so that she can consummate her marriage. Eventually after consummating the marriage, Shikhandi has to return the body part, but the boon is that she will stay a man until she defeats Bhisma,” she explains.
Jalali has handpicked the cast, which includes actors such as Meher Acharia Dar, Mahnaz Damania, Vikrant Dhote, Karan Desai, Nikhil Murali and Srishti Srivastava. “It’s a version that gives Shikhandi more prominence. It’s also set in a contemporary context. The text is in English, and even though it is set in the epic world, we explore the aspect of being a transgender, LGBTQI or gender fluid. My aim is to create something that the audience can take home and think about,” she says.
GREY SIDE
While there is a notion that Shikhandi is a negative character, Jalali says, nobody is “good or bad” in the epics. “Everybody is in the grey area. Everyone has their faults and weaknesses. Shikhandi is therefore not a negative character in Mahabharata. The idea is to explore LGBTQI in the larger spectrum,” says the director.
Queer literature and theatre are on the rise, and Jaleli hopes that her work will find relevance with the audience. “When people come out [in the open about their sexuality] even today, parents offer to get them married, and thus, get them cured. Also, when you’re dealing with the question of ‘Who am I?’ in terms of gender, your physical appearance and demeanour matter a lot. These are just a few things we’ve tried to present in the 90-minute play. Many characters [in the play] are traditional, for example they represent the voice of parents or grandparents, who often say this [gender fluidity and queer] didn’t happen in their generation. People who identify as queer will also find a voice in the play. Those who have questions about transgender and gender fluids will also find Shikhandi relevant,” explains Jalali.
NEW SHOWS
will be staged from March 21 to March 23, at Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, at 7.30pm.