Bikhre Bimb - Play August 5, 2009

Bikhre Bimb - Play. Playwright: Girish Karnad. Dir: Girish Karnad/ K M Chaitanya. Directed by Girish Karnad himself and KM Chaitanya, and starring Arundhati Nag (Kannada and Hindi) and Arundhati Raja (English), the play explores the dilemma of Indian writers who choose to write in English. A scathing look at the Indian literary establishment as well as a moving story of conflict and the desire for fame, Bimba continues to play to packed houses in Bangalore. It has traveled to various festivals across the country and has been independently staged to critical acclaim and popular success in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. The one-act one-performer play tells the story of Manjula Nayak, a professor of English literature who has been an unsuccessful writer in Kannada. She finds international acclaim when she writes a novel in English, which becomes a bestseller. The story starts with her introducing the audience to her novel in a TV studio, prior to a film on it is telecast. After she finishes her introduction, she is confronted by her own image on the screen which poses questions on betrayal of her language and identity when she chooses to write in English.

Official Website: http://www.buzzintown.com/?124986&ref=yupg&refcity=4