The folly of humans

Jyoti Dogra hates clutter. In The Doorway for instance, she used a single doorframe to explain the concept of open and closed spaces. In yet another production, Notes on Chai, chanting techniques of the Tibetan monks provided a soft backdrop. Now, in her upcoming play called Toye, an adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Agni aur Barkha, she will be seen eliminating props entirely, swapping them for actors’ bodies. The play premiers at the Prithvi Theatre Festival next week.

Speaking about the play she explains, “In the simplest of terms, we are not trying to tell a story. Instead, we’re telling the aesthetics of a story.”

Toye, meaning Sanskrit for water, attempts to capture the human body’s relationship with desire. “I think ‘desire’ is a small, simple word for a complex emotion. It is what drives the characters in the play,” she says.

Agni aur Barkha, inspired by a tale from Mahabharata, is a story about revenge and the politics of power and caste. The story is set against a seven year long drought, and a seven year long sacrificial fire that is aimed at pleasing the Gods to end the misery. “The characters are driven mad for hunger, for thirst, power and love. I think hunger describes it much better. Hunger possesses you to a point that it completely consumes you.”

The play begins with a family feud, where Yavakari, is consumed with his love for Vishakha, his childhood sweetheart, also the wife of his archrival and uncle, Pravasu. The love drives him mad and he sets out to destroy her entire family. “Yavakari is the antihero who has been wronged by the society. He thinks he deserves justice, but one doesn’t get everything one thinks he/she deserves. On the other hand, Vishakha is not a victim in the story. She initiates the action of the play — kicks things in motion. It is a high class patriarchal society drama in several ways,” says Jyoti giving an insight into her characters.

The characters are torn apart by their contradictions since they are consumed by multiple desires. “The characters in the play are humane and layered. With every passing minute, we attempt to look into their hearts, their beliefs and what goes on in their minds,” she concludes.

Toye premieres at the Prithvi Theatre Festival on Nov. 11, 6 pm. It will also be playing at the G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture at Mahalaxmi on November 12, 13. Tickets: Rs 500