Showcasing masculine and feminine energies

On the eve of International Women’s Day, women directors have taken the center stage to be vocal about diverse perspectives by challenging the mainstream notions around gender and things of the like. As part of the Bhoomika Modern Theatre Festival organised by the Telangana Theatre Research Centre, ‘Purushasooktam’ saw the prominent Telugu Anchor Jhansi and ‘Happy Days’ fame Vamsee Chaganti in the lead roles on March 7 at Ravindra Bharati.

Being Jhansi’s directorial debut in theatre arts and co-written by KP Vathyam,‘Purushasooktam’is a black and white, contemporary Telugu play that aims to shed light on toxic masculinity and defined gender roles. An intriguing two-character plot that it is, the play starts off with a dialogue about who is equal or more equal of the two. ‘Questions that men were never let to ask’, being the inspiration behind its effective writing, Jhansi beautifully attempts to raise some pertinent questions about the conflicting gender personalitiesalong withtheir conformities. With a minimalistic yet brilliant set, ‘Purushasooktam’ tries to tap into the ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine energies’ of the woman and man respectively and tells how important it is to harmonise the preconceived gender differences of the sexes. That said, the play also has its own share of hits and misses as it unwittingly reinforces the stereotypes it originally wished to challenge, by representing the man’s bottled-up emotional side as his “feminine energy” and vice versa.

Vamsee Chaganti sets a class apart with his intense performance and signature line “Nenu Maganni; I am a man,” and it echoes in the ears long after the curtains fall. He successfully conveys the burden this supposed machismo comes with and how men are conditioned to actualise on the invisible cloak of toxic masculinity without realising that it harms both men and women alike.That said, Jhansi’s quirky comebacks sure got the audience thinking and also left them in splits.

On the whole, the one-hour play is both a visual and a musical treat. With Basheer’s beautiful lighting design, ‘Purushasooktam’ is also a first-of-its-kind, where C Trilok and KP Vathyam used a hand-pan for the background scores. A name that needs no introduction, Uttej’s poetry deserves a special mention for his work “Eemagathanammaatunanenoo o manishine,” which poignantly attempts to revive the dehumanised men into unlearning their specific gender roles to have them embrace their personality in its truest forms.

The play sets a closure by conveying that the society on the whole must also be sensitive to the issue’s men face, stating that both men and women must coexist in peace. ‘Purushasooktam’is a Kathanika production for the Telangana Research Centre and received great applause for the collective work put together.