Girish Karnad’s final play performed in Bengaluru

Girish Karnad’s play ‘Crossing to Talikota’ when it was staged in Bengaluru from October 2. The play was translated from the Kannada original ‘Rakshasa Tangadi’ by Karnad himself and was published after his death on June 10 this year.

For a couple of years before his death in June this year, the prolific and well-regarded playwright Girish Karnad was working on what would become his final play called ‘Crossing to Talikota’. The play, which was translated from the Kannada original ‘Rakshasa Tangadi’ by Karnad himself, was published after his death and had its world premiere in Bengaluru on October 2 with repeat performances over the next few days. Directed by his long-time friend and well-known theatre director Arjun Sajnani, the play was well received by audiences in Bengaluru, many of whom came to watch the play as a way to pay homage to the memory of Karnad.

The historical play is based on the events leading up to and surrounding the Battle of Talikota in 1565 when an alliance of Deccan Sultanates defeated Vijayanagara, sounding the death knell of the great empire. In historical writing and popular understanding of the event, the battle that resulted in the fall of Hampi is often depicted as a civilisational clash between Hinduism and Islam. Contrary to this popular understanding of the event, Karnad brings in a variety of nuances to show that religion played little role in this battle and that it was the hubris of the regent of Vijayanagara, Aliya Ramaraya, and the complicated relationship he had with his own status, that led to the final battle.

The play itself was a grand production with several scenes set in Hampi, Bijapur (now Vijayapura), Ahmednagar and the battlefield. The multiple scenes would have represented a logistical challenge for any director but Sajnani achieved the swift scene changes through minimal props and generous technological aid. Nine electronic display panels were placed on the stage that presented the changing backdrops. The aged Aliya Ramaraya was played by Ashok Mandanna, who excellently brought the necessary complexity to Ramaraya’s character. Other prominent roles were essayed by Viveck Jayant Shah and Shashank Purushottam, who played the Sultans of Ahmednagar and Bijapur respectively.