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Dance Like a Man: A Stage Play in Two
Jairaj Parekh and his wife Ratna, aging Bharatnatyam dancers, are engaged in finding a substitute mridangam player to accompany their daughter Lata at her performance at a high-profile dance festival. Lata, in the meantime, nervously awaits the meeting between her parents and Viswas, the young man she wishes to marry. When the four meet, and in the conversations and discussions that follow, the fissures in the relationship between Jairaj and Ratna begin to explode into high-strung battles which lead back to their own youth and the tragedy that lies at the heart of their discord. The younger couple have their own issues to contend the obvious mismatch between the two sets of parents, the arguments over Lata's career as a dancer after marriage and most unsettling of all, Lata's attempt to balance her parents' ambition with her own needs and desires. A brilliant study of human relationships and weaknesses framed by the age-old battle between tradition and youthful rebellion, Dance Like a Man has been hailed as one of the best works of the dramatic imagination in recent times.
78 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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424 people want to read
About the author
Mahesh Dattani
35 books37 followersMahesh Dattani is an Indian director, actor, playwright and writer. He wrote such plays as Final Solutions, Dance Like a Man, Bravely Fought the Queen, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara,Thirty Days in September and'The murder that never was', starring Dheiraj Kapoor. He is the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi award. His plays have been directed by eminent directors like Arvind Gaur, Alyque Padamsee and Lillete Dubey. Dattani is also a film director. His debut film is Mango Souffle, adapted from one of his plays. He also wrote and directed the movie Morning Raaga.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 28, 2020
What an absolute stunning piece of writing this book is.
Just like the dance, the story flows in one elegant pace. The pauses that a dancer takes to being out the beauty of the craft are where Dattani takes you back and forth with his narration. The past haunting the present days, skeletons tumbling out, people living in a relationship that's long gone sour. The play has so much to offer in such a short span of pages, easily one of my best reads of this year.
Just like the dance, the story flows in one elegant pace. The pauses that a dancer takes to being out the beauty of the craft are where Dattani takes you back and forth with his narration. The past haunting the present days, skeletons tumbling out, people living in a relationship that's long gone sour. The play has so much to offer in such a short span of pages, easily one of my best reads of this year.
August 10, 2020
' Dance like a Man' by Mahesh Dattani is a two act play having 8 characters- Jairaj(old) Ratna (old) , Jairaj (young), Ratna (young), Lata(daughter of Jairaj & Ratna) , Viswas ( love interest of Lata) and Amritlal( father of Jairaj). The play begins with Viswas coming to Lata's home to introduce him to her parents and discuss about marriage proposal.
~~~
Jairaj and Ratna were dancers by profession and they had instilled the art in their daughter from her childhood. Now ten days to come, it is Lata's first stage performance infront of delegates from across the country. For this Ratna had spent many sleepless nights and it is surely a dream coming true to watch her daughter's live performance. She has been waiting for this particular life changing moment of her daughter to see accolades pouring in and newspapers headlining with rave reviews on her performance.
~~~
This play has two time frames, often taking us back from present to 1940's where we get through a different kind of story between young pair of Jairaj ,Ratna and Amritlal. Ruptures between an adamant & foolish father blindfolded with stupified beliefs on dance and dancers and a son who treats dance as a divine thing more than a hobby or profession holds the heart of the play. The screenplay and dialogues in this time frame is so bewitching.
~~~
What stands out in the compete play is nuanced characterisation of Jairaj and Ratna in both the time frames. We somehow observe right from the start a deeply dejected & dismayed Jairaj in the cloak of subservience and submission and an unvented regret and apathy disguised in anger in Ratna's gestures and words; the reasons of which starts peeling off one by one. In just 80 pages of play, Mahesh Dattani has deftly ingested many elements such as - a helpless pair having passion on art, a mother's eagerness to push her daughter to fame, not to mention the back door ways she was left to choose & also at the frills of plot line, he has emphasized an unspoken yet not so uncommon issue of selfishness, deception and jealousy that flows as a translucent air between husband and wife of same profession.
~~~
The story of a play is to be told & to be understood in the flow of conversations, and here lies the beauty of reading the play. The switching of time frames is explained to us including the change of properties & set on stage which comforts a reader to visualise the scene vividly. This is my first play and I loved it so so much. I feel I have started reading plays with the best one& I highly recommend this to all especially who wants to start reading plays as this is an apt play to start with.
~~~
Jairaj and Ratna were dancers by profession and they had instilled the art in their daughter from her childhood. Now ten days to come, it is Lata's first stage performance infront of delegates from across the country. For this Ratna had spent many sleepless nights and it is surely a dream coming true to watch her daughter's live performance. She has been waiting for this particular life changing moment of her daughter to see accolades pouring in and newspapers headlining with rave reviews on her performance.
~~~
This play has two time frames, often taking us back from present to 1940's where we get through a different kind of story between young pair of Jairaj ,Ratna and Amritlal. Ruptures between an adamant & foolish father blindfolded with stupified beliefs on dance and dancers and a son who treats dance as a divine thing more than a hobby or profession holds the heart of the play. The screenplay and dialogues in this time frame is so bewitching.
~~~
What stands out in the compete play is nuanced characterisation of Jairaj and Ratna in both the time frames. We somehow observe right from the start a deeply dejected & dismayed Jairaj in the cloak of subservience and submission and an unvented regret and apathy disguised in anger in Ratna's gestures and words; the reasons of which starts peeling off one by one. In just 80 pages of play, Mahesh Dattani has deftly ingested many elements such as - a helpless pair having passion on art, a mother's eagerness to push her daughter to fame, not to mention the back door ways she was left to choose & also at the frills of plot line, he has emphasized an unspoken yet not so uncommon issue of selfishness, deception and jealousy that flows as a translucent air between husband and wife of same profession.
~~~
The story of a play is to be told & to be understood in the flow of conversations, and here lies the beauty of reading the play. The switching of time frames is explained to us including the change of properties & set on stage which comforts a reader to visualise the scene vividly. This is my first play and I loved it so so much. I feel I have started reading plays with the best one& I highly recommend this to all especially who wants to start reading plays as this is an apt play to start with.
October 15, 2020
"A woman in a man’s world may be considered as being progressive. But a man in a woman’s world is pathetic." declares Amritlal Parekh at one point in the play.
About five years ago, I'd watched a production of 'On a Muggy Night in Mumbai' at the Mekaster Auditorium in Hyderabad. I'd gone because a few of my friends were performing. That was my first and only exposure to the work of Mahesh Dattani. Remembering it as fond memory, primarily because of the performances, but also because of the sensitivity of its theme, I recently picked up a copy of 'Dance Like a Man.' The title in itself was very intriguing and Dattani did not fail to deliver.
If 'Muggy Night' revolved around the theme of sexuality, 'Dance Like a Man' has as its topical mooring, the notion of gender, in all its possible expansiveness. There is a continuous undercurrent of problematizing gender - its expressions vis a vis people's expectations. Through the characters of Amritlal Parekh (the relentless patriarch), Jairaj (his "pliable" son), Ratna (his determined wife), Lata (their daughter), and Viswas (her partner), the author casts a critical glance on the normative ideas of masculinity, gendered roles and duties in a marriage, the pseudo-progressive passive-aggressive patriarch of the traditional Indian familial structure, morality, ambition, power, and freedom.
In about eighty pages and a narrative that oscillates between two time periods, what I found most striking was Dattani's efficient use of dance, with its "feminine", and oftentimes even "immoral" associations, to challenge the stubborn monolithic view of gender. The characters' slow ripening with age and letting go was a delight to watch. I say watch and not read, because that's how visually evocative this play is. No word or seeming digression is replaceable, and that's saying something.
About five years ago, I'd watched a production of 'On a Muggy Night in Mumbai' at the Mekaster Auditorium in Hyderabad. I'd gone because a few of my friends were performing. That was my first and only exposure to the work of Mahesh Dattani. Remembering it as fond memory, primarily because of the performances, but also because of the sensitivity of its theme, I recently picked up a copy of 'Dance Like a Man.' The title in itself was very intriguing and Dattani did not fail to deliver.
If 'Muggy Night' revolved around the theme of sexuality, 'Dance Like a Man' has as its topical mooring, the notion of gender, in all its possible expansiveness. There is a continuous undercurrent of problematizing gender - its expressions vis a vis people's expectations. Through the characters of Amritlal Parekh (the relentless patriarch), Jairaj (his "pliable" son), Ratna (his determined wife), Lata (their daughter), and Viswas (her partner), the author casts a critical glance on the normative ideas of masculinity, gendered roles and duties in a marriage, the pseudo-progressive passive-aggressive patriarch of the traditional Indian familial structure, morality, ambition, power, and freedom.
In about eighty pages and a narrative that oscillates between two time periods, what I found most striking was Dattani's efficient use of dance, with its "feminine", and oftentimes even "immoral" associations, to challenge the stubborn monolithic view of gender. The characters' slow ripening with age and letting go was a delight to watch. I say watch and not read, because that's how visually evocative this play is. No word or seeming digression is replaceable, and that's saying something.
October 20, 2020
"They are both fixed in a spotlight. All sense of time is abandoned now."
May 20, 2016
This play may seem very drab in the beginning but there are gems of conflict, repression, dedication, feminism, patriarchy, the love for art, prostitution, politics and much more underlying it.
The characters have different voices and opinions. They view the events unfolding in their own perspective.
Ratna, the mother has been through much grief in the past. But what stays prominent is the jealousy she harbors towards the success of her only daughter, wishing fruitlessly that she had the fame that her daughter was getting.
She not only loses something very important to her blinded by the need for fame, she also feels the same pull now. Its difficult being a mother as well as trying to make a name for yourself in that year in India. Even today, its something that not many achieve. Feminism creeps into the story without making an entrance.
Jairaj, the father has lost his will and desire to dance after the fateful events. Even so, unlike Ratna he is proud of his daughter and all that she has achieved. His relationship with his own father has molded him into the ever-supporting father and even though he hates his old man, he can't help but remember him.
Lata, the daughter is walking down the path that her parents once set on, and then laid out for her to go on. She's a strong independent woman who does nor back down from her opinions even if her fiance or anyone else for that matter objects to it.
Viswas played a small role. So no thoughts for him.
Overall, a great play.
The characters have different voices and opinions. They view the events unfolding in their own perspective.
Ratna, the mother has been through much grief in the past. But what stays prominent is the jealousy she harbors towards the success of her only daughter, wishing fruitlessly that she had the fame that her daughter was getting.
She not only loses something very important to her blinded by the need for fame, she also feels the same pull now. Its difficult being a mother as well as trying to make a name for yourself in that year in India. Even today, its something that not many achieve. Feminism creeps into the story without making an entrance.
Jairaj, the father has lost his will and desire to dance after the fateful events. Even so, unlike Ratna he is proud of his daughter and all that she has achieved. His relationship with his own father has molded him into the ever-supporting father and even though he hates his old man, he can't help but remember him.
Lata, the daughter is walking down the path that her parents once set on, and then laid out for her to go on. She's a strong independent woman who does nor back down from her opinions even if her fiance or anyone else for that matter objects to it.
Viswas played a small role. So no thoughts for him.
Overall, a great play.
May 15, 2013
A play that revolves around the conflict and bitterness between a dancer-couple, portraying their gradual breakdown as they grow apart following the death of their infant son caused by negligence - holding a silent bitterness against each other, the play explores their life from various perspectives - a career-woman in India, a married, career-woman-cum-mother in India, an ambitious couple, dance as a creative and career choice.
While this play is innovative in terms of content, it is not spectacular. The language fails to convey effectively the trauma of the broken family the way Arthur Miller's or Eugene O'Neill's does. It is not that captivating. Yet, it stands out as a good read on account of its contemporary concerns that define many cosmopolitan/metropolitan lives.
I rate it 3.5 - despite its flaws, it is a good read.
While this play is innovative in terms of content, it is not spectacular. The language fails to convey effectively the trauma of the broken family the way Arthur Miller's or Eugene O'Neill's does. It is not that captivating. Yet, it stands out as a good read on account of its contemporary concerns that define many cosmopolitan/metropolitan lives.
I rate it 3.5 - despite its flaws, it is a good read.
August 18, 2024
powerful read!
April 22, 2025
i wish i can watch it on stage sometime. the south indian accent mocking thing was annoying though
June 28, 2025
" We were only human. We lacked the grace. We lacked the brilliance. We lacked the magic to dance Like God. "
July 17, 2018

What's wrong if a man is trapped in a woman's body or a woman is trapped in a man's body?
Majority would say, "Arrey.. We're in 21st century yaar! They have their social groups goes by LGBTQ. Things have changed!"
Okay.
Things have changed for those people who suffer with hormonal alterations. What about people who want to remain in their own gender identity but loves the complementary elements more?
What if a man wants to remain a man but loves feminine attributes more? What if he wants to grow big beard, ride muscle bikes, hit the gym but loves flowers, ornaments, cooking and feminine artifacts? What if he really can't change his behaviour which puts him in embarrassment? What if a person wants to be called a man but wants to be a woman? What then?
Where does this society keeps them? Do they have social groups like LGBTQ? Where could you place them?
There are also the questions one should consider when talking about gender equality and gender studies.
Dance like a man by Mahesh Dattani questions the caste system, the impact of social setup inside a family setup, the patriarchal discourses and actual freedom of an individual in a independent country. The brilliance of the playwright is so visible when one can imagine this to be performed while reading this. The violation of three unities is the beauty of the play. The four actors in the play are like four legs of a chair. Critical analysis of this play makes one question a lot of things prevailing today. This play is a whole package!
Some never fading questions are...
We are living in 21st century. Yes! But are we really progressive? That's the actual question. Have times really changed? Can a man dance bharatanatyam as a woman does boxing?
Only when we give up the so called "social conventions", we'd know.
©ARuneshWords
What's wrong if a man is trapped in a woman's body or a woman is trapped in a man's body?
Majority would say, "Arrey.. We're in 21st century yaar! They have their social groups goes by LGBTQ. Things have changed!"
Okay.
Things have changed for those people who suffer with hormonal alterations. What about people who want to remain in their own gender identity but loves the complementary elements more?
What if a man wants to remain a man but loves feminine attributes more? What if he wants to grow big beard, ride muscle bikes, hit the gym but loves flowers, ornaments, cooking and feminine artifacts? What if he really can't change his behaviour which puts him in embarrassment? What if a person wants to be called a man but wants to be a woman? What then?
Where does this society keeps them? Do they have social groups like LGBTQ? Where could you place them?
There are also the questions one should consider when talking about gender equality and gender studies.
Dance like a man by Mahesh Dattani questions the caste system, the impact of social setup inside a family setup, the patriarchal discourses and actual freedom of an individual in a independent country. The brilliance of the playwright is so visible when one can imagine this to be performed while reading this. The violation of three unities is the beauty of the play. The four actors in the play are like four legs of a chair. Critical analysis of this play makes one question a lot of things prevailing today. This play is a whole package!
Some never fading questions are...
We are living in 21st century. Yes! But are we really progressive? That's the actual question. Have times really changed? Can a man dance bharatanatyam as a woman does boxing?
Only when we give up the so called "social conventions", we'd know.
©ARuneshWords
April 17, 2016
in a single play we examine a plethora of relationships- between couple to be, between son and a parent who doesn't approve of his child's choice of career and between daughter and parents who have shaped her career, and most importantly between the old couple that has seen the best and worst of days. Gender identity, power equations within a family, relook at people's icons, blatant manipulation in the world of art and beauty- some of the themes adding layers to the script. distaste for wealth and the wealthy seems hypocritical when contrasted with the lobbying carried on by the parents promoting their daughter's fortunes. and there's the ever so green head of jealousy raising itself.... a good read and a challenge for actors to portray the different personages in different time zones.
May 26, 2015
What an engrossing play about intricate human relationships - husband-wife, father-son, mother-daughter... Beautiful use of the technique of parallel action to juxtapose past with present, and lead to ironic undertones. The play is held together by conversations, often leading to absurdist possibilities. Issues of gender, and generation-gap take precedence. Engrossing read!
March 4, 2022
The play brilliantly explores the patriarchal hegemony and the performative acts that constitute gender roles. Additionally, the way the playwright highlights the gender issues and stereotypes which caused the downfall of the reputation of the devadasi culture is eye-opening.
5/5.
5/5.
October 2, 2022
A wonderful short play with lots of messages!
September 26, 2016
SO OBSESSED WITH THIS PLAY
February 2, 2023
The title of this play is rather perplexing. All the same, a closer inspection into the subject matter and characters may divulge the truth.
This life of man, if taken in a more expansive sense, is something like a dance. A man has to execute quite a lot of duties in dissimilar situations and each situation demands a novel turn in thought and action.
It is essential for everyone to leave the past behind and prop himself for future responsibilities. The play says in language and tone that vitality is the indispensable obligation of life.
The play opens with a dialogue between Lata and Viswas. The former looks forward while Viswas is rooted in aged values which have mislaid their bearing. He harps on the old tune that the future son-in-law should get precedence over every other thing ---even the wounded friend should be left to fend for himself.
The old views are resounded. In olden times, daughters were taken as a dead-yoke on the family.
Viswas says "I am sure they are anxious to get rid of you," uninformed as he is that dance has changed its character and form both.
Lata is appalled with this boy-friend to such an extent that she says straightforwardly, "Oh, Viswas! May be! I should throw you out before they come."
Viswas is an over-satisfied person, since he comes of an affluent family. He is satisfied with a square meal, and adequate provision for future.
What he should bother for?
He is like one who stands bewildered in a hall full of couples dancing frantically on speedy tunes of life. He does not know that dance of life continues unabated. Those who stand detached are like maw-crammed beasts, without desires and urges.
Lata is the only character that has no reservations about her aptitudes and capabilities. She marries Viswas after he is purged of his conceit and has accepted her conditions necessary for a life.
The dramatist gives the message through this character that contentment comes to those who do not harbour delusions, and are contented to live a regular life of average men. Lata's delight knows no bounds when her child speaks the first word --- it is sweet like Jalebi. She is pleased to see that old rivalries have changed into camaraderie. She is cheerful to learn that her mother has become a close friend of her one time enemy Chandrakala.
Let us point-out the takeaways from this play:
**Though this play is diminutive in size, containing only 74 pages, it is supplied with appealing material, startling dialogues, a multiplicity of characters, pleasurable humour and a philosophy of its own.
**Each character has his conscience. Jairaj remains sincere and decent, Ratna is raw for resorting to unjust means, Lata remains intelligent and sincere throughout. Viswas has the pride of affluence in the beginning but he becomes a hater of ill-gotten prosperity in the end.
**Freedom fighter Amritlal's divergence from ethics for wealth gives opportunity to Jairaj to turn Viswas from lover to hater of the ill-gotten wealth.
**The dramatist rises to give the philosophy of life that one should remain accurate to oneself and the social values forever and always.
To conclude, this play gives us the memo that gladness comes only to those who are liberated from arrogance, acquisitiveness, competition, overruling aspirations and the like.
Perchance the best work of Dattani.
This life of man, if taken in a more expansive sense, is something like a dance. A man has to execute quite a lot of duties in dissimilar situations and each situation demands a novel turn in thought and action.
It is essential for everyone to leave the past behind and prop himself for future responsibilities. The play says in language and tone that vitality is the indispensable obligation of life.
The play opens with a dialogue between Lata and Viswas. The former looks forward while Viswas is rooted in aged values which have mislaid their bearing. He harps on the old tune that the future son-in-law should get precedence over every other thing ---even the wounded friend should be left to fend for himself.
The old views are resounded. In olden times, daughters were taken as a dead-yoke on the family.
Viswas says "I am sure they are anxious to get rid of you," uninformed as he is that dance has changed its character and form both.
Lata is appalled with this boy-friend to such an extent that she says straightforwardly, "Oh, Viswas! May be! I should throw you out before they come."
Viswas is an over-satisfied person, since he comes of an affluent family. He is satisfied with a square meal, and adequate provision for future.
What he should bother for?
He is like one who stands bewildered in a hall full of couples dancing frantically on speedy tunes of life. He does not know that dance of life continues unabated. Those who stand detached are like maw-crammed beasts, without desires and urges.
Lata is the only character that has no reservations about her aptitudes and capabilities. She marries Viswas after he is purged of his conceit and has accepted her conditions necessary for a life.
The dramatist gives the message through this character that contentment comes to those who do not harbour delusions, and are contented to live a regular life of average men. Lata's delight knows no bounds when her child speaks the first word --- it is sweet like Jalebi. She is pleased to see that old rivalries have changed into camaraderie. She is cheerful to learn that her mother has become a close friend of her one time enemy Chandrakala.
Let us point-out the takeaways from this play:
**Though this play is diminutive in size, containing only 74 pages, it is supplied with appealing material, startling dialogues, a multiplicity of characters, pleasurable humour and a philosophy of its own.
**Each character has his conscience. Jairaj remains sincere and decent, Ratna is raw for resorting to unjust means, Lata remains intelligent and sincere throughout. Viswas has the pride of affluence in the beginning but he becomes a hater of ill-gotten prosperity in the end.
**Freedom fighter Amritlal's divergence from ethics for wealth gives opportunity to Jairaj to turn Viswas from lover to hater of the ill-gotten wealth.
**The dramatist rises to give the philosophy of life that one should remain accurate to oneself and the social values forever and always.
To conclude, this play gives us the memo that gladness comes only to those who are liberated from arrogance, acquisitiveness, competition, overruling aspirations and the like.
Perchance the best work of Dattani.
April 17, 2025
"A woman in a man's world may be considered as being progressive. But a man in a woman's world is pathetic."
Beautifully crafted. Touches the most crucial issue of patriarchal domination, how patriarchy not only binds women but also men and how through it's autocratic rule individual lives are destroyed. Quite sad, extremely essential especially in today's context, Dattani dives into the lives of two young Bharatnatyam dancers Jairaj and Ratna and their daughter Lata. How Jairaj despite being talented and hardworking is denied the opportunity to persue his art simply because he is a 'man' and dance is not a 'manly' profession. Mahesh Dattani here focuses on how the harsh institution of patriarchy works through not only typical autocratic patriarchal figures in families and societies but is also perpetuated by the women counterparts as well and in a more subtle and deep manner. Amritlal Parekh, a man with so-called progressive ideals and liberal values serves as classic patriarch, degrading the devadasi dancers as 'prostitutes'. The play also explores through Jairaj's life and experiences how in a heteronormative society men are considered as a 'man' only if they conform to certain rules, behaviors and practices and any deviations are shunned and ostracized. Even while choosing the life partner for their daughter Lata, Jairaj and Ratna's apparent nonchalance and indifferance is starkly shocking. The only thing that they care about is if he is "well-off" and will let her dance or not. This shows how patriarchy's deep-rooted mechanism is working unknowingly through the psyche of almost every humanbeing, it's victims even.
So much in just 74 pages, definitely a must read especially in today's changing world!
Beautifully crafted. Touches the most crucial issue of patriarchal domination, how patriarchy not only binds women but also men and how through it's autocratic rule individual lives are destroyed. Quite sad, extremely essential especially in today's context, Dattani dives into the lives of two young Bharatnatyam dancers Jairaj and Ratna and their daughter Lata. How Jairaj despite being talented and hardworking is denied the opportunity to persue his art simply because he is a 'man' and dance is not a 'manly' profession. Mahesh Dattani here focuses on how the harsh institution of patriarchy works through not only typical autocratic patriarchal figures in families and societies but is also perpetuated by the women counterparts as well and in a more subtle and deep manner. Amritlal Parekh, a man with so-called progressive ideals and liberal values serves as classic patriarch, degrading the devadasi dancers as 'prostitutes'. The play also explores through Jairaj's life and experiences how in a heteronormative society men are considered as a 'man' only if they conform to certain rules, behaviors and practices and any deviations are shunned and ostracized. Even while choosing the life partner for their daughter Lata, Jairaj and Ratna's apparent nonchalance and indifferance is starkly shocking. The only thing that they care about is if he is "well-off" and will let her dance or not. This shows how patriarchy's deep-rooted mechanism is working unknowingly through the psyche of almost every humanbeing, it's victims even.
So much in just 74 pages, definitely a must read especially in today's changing world!
June 7, 2021
Dance like a man by Mahesh Dattani
A small novella encompassing the myriad of emotions- stresses of marriage, the marital compromise and parental duties and finally swallowing up own desires and hope.
This is a relatable book for brown families especially. Considering the tug of war between parents aspirations and children's future is a lifelong war.
It is hard to digest and support a child's dream when it may not lead to wealth, where it may harm society's expectations and finally the idea of masculinity itself. The authors puts forward the ideas about what a progressive culture means and what it means to be a male dancer.
The completion of the full routine of Bharatnatyam , the attention to poise and attire and finally the stardom, but there's always a cost and finally a sacrifice..
Lata is the daughter of dancers, Jairaj and Ratna aging artists themselves. She is about to perform the performance of her lifetime and her parents, dabbling with the art themselves cut tooth and nail for her sake.
But life is about circumambulating between the past and future because the present is never enough. The young Jairaj and Ratna lock heads with Amritlal , Jairaj's dad.
For dance and for recognition..
Amritlal, a staunch follower of conventions and ideals and a prey to societal hearsay makes an agreement with one of them which affects them both..
And moving to the future we see, repetitions of history and of freedom of expression between what it feels to be a woman dancer.
This book packs a punch- societal aspirations, gender discriminations, idea of progressive culture , and finally compromise.
A small novella encompassing the myriad of emotions- stresses of marriage, the marital compromise and parental duties and finally swallowing up own desires and hope.
This is a relatable book for brown families especially. Considering the tug of war between parents aspirations and children's future is a lifelong war.
It is hard to digest and support a child's dream when it may not lead to wealth, where it may harm society's expectations and finally the idea of masculinity itself. The authors puts forward the ideas about what a progressive culture means and what it means to be a male dancer.
The completion of the full routine of Bharatnatyam , the attention to poise and attire and finally the stardom, but there's always a cost and finally a sacrifice..
Lata is the daughter of dancers, Jairaj and Ratna aging artists themselves. She is about to perform the performance of her lifetime and her parents, dabbling with the art themselves cut tooth and nail for her sake.
But life is about circumambulating between the past and future because the present is never enough. The young Jairaj and Ratna lock heads with Amritlal , Jairaj's dad.
For dance and for recognition..
Amritlal, a staunch follower of conventions and ideals and a prey to societal hearsay makes an agreement with one of them which affects them both..
And moving to the future we see, repetitions of history and of freedom of expression between what it feels to be a woman dancer.
This book packs a punch- societal aspirations, gender discriminations, idea of progressive culture , and finally compromise.
July 11, 2024
I would recommend reading this play in a single sitting as one would watch a play in a single sitting. It’s a short play and won’t take more than half a day to read, even if you are a reader who loves to savour each page.
The play has many gorgeous angles to it. It goes deeper to highlight inter-generational divide with a twinge of destiny from 1940s to 1980s India, encompassing thoughts, ideas, passion, challenges, and lifestyle of three generations.
It also takes the reader through the still complex idea of men taking up classical dance in India, considered to be women’s profession. It also tries to go deeper into the lives of first choreographers of classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam in India in the post-colonial 2nd half of the 20th century.
Overall, reading this play is quite an enthralling experience, full of visuals and wild imagination, facilitated by the playwright, Mahesh Dattani ji.
The play has many gorgeous angles to it. It goes deeper to highlight inter-generational divide with a twinge of destiny from 1940s to 1980s India, encompassing thoughts, ideas, passion, challenges, and lifestyle of three generations.
It also takes the reader through the still complex idea of men taking up classical dance in India, considered to be women’s profession. It also tries to go deeper into the lives of first choreographers of classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam in India in the post-colonial 2nd half of the 20th century.
Overall, reading this play is quite an enthralling experience, full of visuals and wild imagination, facilitated by the playwright, Mahesh Dattani ji.
January 5, 2022
What impacted me the most was how the story unfolds. You might think you know how the next scene is gonna unfold but you couldnt be proved more wrong. The strained relationship between a father and his son, a married life turned sour between a couple, an individual in conflict with the societal pressures, the differences in power held by a gender, the social inequalities are beautifully written. Multiple subjects are touched in a way that will leave a mark when you complete this book. The wordings are t o definitely stir your emotions, not gently though. Undoubtedly one of my favourite finds and reads in this year.
January 29, 2019
"A woman in the man's world may be considered as being progressive. But a man in a woman's world is pathetic." - Says Amritlal, the staunch patriarch.
A wonderful exploration to the myriad forms of gender identity, this book serves as an important testimony to the plight of male dancers in India. It also highlights the obvious ego clashes between those couples who share a same profession.
A wonderful exploration to the myriad forms of gender identity, this book serves as an important testimony to the plight of male dancers in India. It also highlights the obvious ego clashes between those couples who share a same profession.
September 20, 2021
This play.... Words fail. WOW. There is no wonder this play is the longest running Indian play in English. A good play should be timeless. It should create feelings in its audience regardless of the year it was made or where it was set and this play does just that. This play reminds that us life and family are MESSY, and that at the end of the day, we are only human after all.
April 5, 2018
Out of all the plays I've read so far in my course, this has to be my favourite one. Not only do I find the dialogue quite realistic but the themes in the story and the characters are so well-developed in play that is not long at all.
May 23, 2020
Great play with so many things to be looked at. The way Jairaj's character has been used and misused by others, is worth noticing. You feel terrible for him. The non-linear format of the play proves to be effective.
September 13, 2020
Such a captivating and layered play. Thoroughly enjoy the nuances of gender roles everytime I read it. The fast paced narrative, witty repartee and characters dancing between good and bad adds to the realism of the text. Would definitely recommend it if you're into social drama.
January 1, 2024
Without missing a beat, a family drama with hidden depths. Each ring of the anklet and each dance takes one closer to the heart of the matter and the tragedy.
Breaking gender types, exposing relationship dynamics and tension till the end.
Breaking gender types, exposing relationship dynamics and tension till the end.
September 18, 2017
Such a beautiful play! Loved loved loved it.
April 3, 2018
The best quick read with insights on gender, society and patriarchy
April 23, 2018
My actual rating: 3.5
September 3, 2018
"We were only human. We lacked the grace. We lacked the brilliance. We lacked the magic to dance like God."
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