4 Indian plays so powerful, they will haunt you long after the lights go out

Indian Express

12-06-2025

(Written by Taniya Chopra)
'All the world's a stage' as Shakespeare once said and nowhere is this more true than in India. The Indian stage has always found a way to speak to its time. With its old roots and ever-evolving forms, it continues to be a reflection and a critique of society.
Across languages, Indian plays have dared to question power and expose injustice. Each of these plays are written in different decades and portray realities that remain very relevant today. These are the stories that make you question your thoughts. They will continue to stay with you long after the curtain falls.
'My life is my own- I haven't sold it to anyone for a job! My will is my own. My wishes are my own. No one can kill those- no one! I'll do what I like with myself and my life!'
A play within a play that blurs the line between reality and performance. Begins with a group of actors gathering to rehearse a play about a court trial. Leela Benare is pushed into the role of the accused. The fictional charges against her is infanticide, but beneath that lie deeper judgments for being unmarried in her thirties, for having relationships, for refusing to conform to what society expects of a woman. The stage becomes a space of judgment, not just performance. Under the guise of only a play, we see a relentless public shaming of a woman who dares to defy societal norms. This play makes us, as audience, want to rise from the seats and defend Leela Benare and the countless women who she represents. Vijay Tendulkar turns this play from a light-hearted rehearsal to a ruthless trial of a woman's morality.
'A woman in a man's world is considered progressive, but a man in a woman's world is considered pathetic.'
The most famous line and the haunting truth that runs through the play. The play shows the life journey of retired Bharatnatyam dancers, Jairaj and his wife, Ratna. We see their present day tensions with glimpses of their younger selves. Jairaj's love for dance, an art viewed as feminine, becomes his lifelong struggle for acceptance within his own home. Ratna now pins all her hopes on their daughter, Lata, trying to shape her into a successful dancer. Mahesh Dattani weaves together a beautiful portrait of strained relationships- a marriage turned bitter, complicated father-son bond, personal toll of gender stereotypes. As the spotlight fades, the play leaves behind the ache of dreams deferred and the weight of societal expectations.
What do you do when something terrible is happening to another person just outside your window, will you take action or will you look the other way? This is a play about a gang rape that happens outside an apartment building. The people inside hear it. Every night. And still, they do nothing. Based on a real incident in Mumbai, Lights Out brings together a group of middle-class residents trying to comprehend what they're witnessing or choosing not to. What begins as a conversation about what should be done turns into an unsettling portrait of ignorance and apathy of humans. The play shows how numb we've grown to the horrors that don't directly affect us. Manjula Padmanabhan's Lights Out shows a brutal reality- 'In real life, as in the play, no one went to the aid of the victims'.
A dramatic play based on a story from Mahabharata. Arvasu, a young man is caught in the web of rigid tradition and family politics. His love for Nittilai, a tribal girl, is pure, but caste rules make it impossible. In this play we see men obsessed with chasing power and revenge. Paravasu, the chief priest is cold and calculating. Yavakri, returned from years of penance but still is full of pride. Raibhya, a father who is driven by jealousy. Rarely does a play blend mythology and raw human emotion with such perfection. The Fire and the Rain is a tragedy of what's lost because of ambition and vengeance. With its unforgettable characters, it stays with you for a long time.
(The writer is an intern with indianexpress.com).