Celebrating Feminist Playwrights Who Defied Societal Norms This Dussehra

Watch Herik Ibsen’s ‘Doll’s House’, Vijay Tendulkar’s ‘Khamosh Adalat Jaari Hai’ and Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Chokher Bali’ on the small screen.

Much before the rise of feminist theatre in the 1970s, many playwrights, including Henrik Ibsen, Rabindranath Tagore, Shanta Gandhi, and many others, made women central to their narratives. This Dussehra revisits stories in which female protagonists are presented in all their glory and complexity.

‘Henrik Ibsen’

Norwegian playwright Henrik Johan Ibsen changed the tenor of theatre in the 19th century by imbuing it with a spirit of inquiry, realism, and modernism. He challenged patriarchal moral norms that oppressed women and bravely shed light on gender inequities in classics such as ‘A Doll’s House’, ‘Ghosts’, and ‘Hedda Gabler.’

Zee Theatre’s Hindi adaptation ‘Doll’s House’ reveals how relevant Ibsen’s work still is across centuries and diverse milieus. Set in Bengal, it depicts the journey of Keya, a docile homemaker who eventually finds her voice, agency, and the courage to be more than just her husband’s prized doll.

Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, ‘Doll’s House’ stars Swastika Mukherjee, Subhrajyoti Barat, Ratnabali Bhattacharya, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya. It will air on October 12, 2024 on Tata Play Theatre.

‘Vijay Tendulkar’

Iconic Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar broke new ground with provocative plays that challenged societal hypocrisy about gender issues, caste prejudices, and the toxicity of entrenched patriarchy. His plays, ‘Ghashiram Kotwal,’ ‘Sakharam Binder,’ and ‘Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe’, among many others, was deemed a modern classic for its unsparing truth-telling.

Zee Theatre’s Hindi adaptation ‘Khamosh Adalat Jaari Hai’ narrates how a mock trial staged by a theatre group leads to shocking consequences. At the heart of the trial is Leela, whose personal choices are brutally castigated just because her life does not fit the molds society prepares for women.

Filmed by Ritesh Menon, the teleplay stars Nandita Das, Saurabh Shukla, Swanand Kirkire, Yusuf Hussain, Pravina Bhagwat Deshpande, Rajeev Siddhartha, Ajitesh Gupta and Abhay Mahajan. It will air on 25th October on Airtel Spotlight, Dish TV Rangmanch Active and D2H Rangmanch Active.

‘Rabindranath Tagore’

Nobel laureate and Bengal’s very own Renaissance man Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore imprinted his brilliance on the realms of poetry, theatre, literature, music, art, and philosophy. His acute awareness of social and gender inequalities and his modern, liberal, and reformist spirit seeped into his plays, such as Chandalika and Natir Puja, and feminist novels, like Chokher Bali.

Zee Theatre’s Hindi adaptation of ’Chokher Bali’ probes the wounded psyche of a young widow, Binodini, as she gets drawn to Mahendra, a married man who had once rejected her. Her feelings for him and her warm relationship with his wife, Ashalata, complicate three lives. How she extricates herself from this web of distrust, adultery, and lies, makes for a compelling watch.

Filmed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the teleplay stars Parno Mitra, Chandon Roy Sanyal, Vijay Verma, Paromita Chatterjee, and Chitrangada. Watch it on 20th October at Tata Play Theatre.