
‘Silvatein’: A play that looks at everyday feminism
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. There is been a resurgence in conversations around regressive patriarchal traditions in relationships with the streaming of Mrs.—the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen. Silvatein, a play by Bengaluru-based theatre director and playwright Shatarupa Bhattacharyya, is especially relevant in this context.
Through the production, she explores the complex web of intimate relationships. This one act Hindi play, which has been staged in her home city and in Alwar, Rajasthan, revolves around the meeting of ex lovers, Rupali and Arjit. The play, which has had 11 shows so far, is being hailed for its nuanced depiction of everyday feminism.
According to Bhattacharyya, this concept is not something she learnt from books, but from conversations with her mother, grandmother, aunt, and sisters. She wanted to look at how everyday feminism plays out in daily lives. For instance, Rupali questions why cooking and homemaking are not considered as disciplines imbued with a knowledge bank of their own.
“We only talk about patriarchy in an exterior world. We do not really highlight the interior world," adds Bhattacharya. In fact, the idea for Silvatein emerged from Bhattacharyya’s personal experience of a past relationship.
“I was always seeking an outlet for portraying these unexpressed emotions. Theatre was the obvious choice because I have been doing it for so long. I decided to write a story which talks about these unsettling feelings and its different aspects," she explains.
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