The first half of the event will felicitate survivors of violence as well as unsung heroes working towards ending violence against women. For the first time in India Bollywood’s biggest and brightest stars are partnering with The Vagina Monologues and the cause to help raise awareness and funds towards preventing and ending violence against women and girls. The hallmark of this event is that men will join hands with women to work towards this worthy cause.
The Vagina Monologues is an Obie Award-winning episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the off-Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at HERE Arts Center in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production; when she left the play it was recast with three celebrity monologists. The production has been staged internationally, and a television version featuring Ensler was produced by cable TV channel HBO. In 1998, Ensler launched V-Day, a global non profit that has raised over $50 million for women's anti-violence groups through benefits of The Vagina Monologues.
Read More on What is Vagina Mogolougues
First things first. VAGINA is NOT a bad word. It is a biological term. A medical reality. A reproductive necessity. It is not perverted to say the word or acknowledge its presence.
In fact will all those who dont have a problem with the word in the audience, please raise their hands. Ok, good. Now can we please whisper the word.. vagina.. a little louder please..Vagina.. Now can we scream it out at the top of our lungs please.. VAGINA!!! There its out in the open. No need to be shy.
Whew, and thats the way, the exact way in which this smashing-dashing, roller-coaster, in-your-face play begins.
A Poor-Box productions presentation, Vagina Monologues is a path breaking play directed by the extremely well-known and critically acclaimed Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, who has the unique distinction of being India’s first stand up artist and has since performed to rave reviews in India and abroad, in plays, tv, radio and films. The play is based upon the hugely successful Obie-Award winning play, The Vagina Monologues, by Eve Ensler and has since been translated into 22 languages and has been running in theatres all over the world.
So whats it all about?
Well, the play seeks to lay bare some cold truths (pun intended). The play focuses on issues related to WOMEN (no surprises there). But it might surprise some of the so called liberal pseudo intellectuals amongst us, just how badly treated women are. Before I saw this play, I knew there was a problem. I just didn’t appreciate the extent of it. But I am running away with the story. Lets start from the very beginning.
Vagina Monologues:
The play is a series of monologues by 4 women and one facilitator (suthradhar). There is Mahabanoo (whom I’ve already discussed), Dolly Thakore (who is a theatre legend in her own right), Jayati Bhatia (She has many, many roles to her credit including Kasturba in Mahatma vs Gandhi, the girl in All the Best and she appears in popular serials like Tu Tu Mein Mein and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki), Avantika Akerkar (a brilliant actress and NGO activist) and Sonali Sachdev (an orthodontist who has become an actress) as the suthradhar. However Avanti Akerkar was not available for the play and her part was played by someone else whose name I was unable to catch. For ease of understanding, lets call her Ms X. As i mentioned its a series of monologues built up over 200 interviews of women around the world by Eve Ensler. She has capsuled all the messages into an action packed, dramatic play lasting 1.5 hrs with no interruptions.
Some of the highlights:
Mahabanoo playing the role of a 65 year old Parsi women who has experienced her last orgasm some time in the distant past. She talks about the fact that she used to be made fun of, in her younger days, since she was a ’’Gusher’’. Watch the play to believe the incredible pathos, intimacy and emotions conveyed by Mahabanoo. Absolutely top of the line performance. The play begins with this monologue.
The incredibly heart wrenching scream of agony (played in the back ground) after which each of them in a series of short, stacatto bursts talk about Rape, Vaginal Mutilation, Gender Bias during birth and Abortion. Did you know that more 500,000 women are raped in India every year?? Yes!! And that more than 65% of the women in Africa still suffer from genital mutilation where they are curcumscribed at birth, thus resulting in excruciating pain, dangers during delivery, hormonal imbalances and shortened life expectancy.
The scene where Jayati talks about different kinds of orgasms and why she turned gay, because, well, no man could satisfy her. No man wanted to satisfy her, it was all about self pleasure for the guy with scarcely a thought for the woman (the unwilling partner). This is an amazing monologue and her complete acting skills come to the fore. Quite brilliant.
Dolly Thakore talking about how a vagina just wants to be loved, thus using the vagina as a metaphor for a woman, she builds this entire monologue around how a woman wants to be treated. A brilliant, dreamy monologue where she sort of reveals what lies inside the heart of a woman. Now how many guys would like to see this one. Superb.
Ms X (sorry but just cannot remember her name), talks about the different words the world uses to describe the vagina, including a certain feline name, a word that rhymes with ’’punt’’, a sugar box, a honky-tonky, a coochie-shnoker etc etc.. But the eyes really fill up when she describes how she was abused as a child by her fathers best friend and how her mom blamed her for it. Christ, shes just a baby, how can anyone blame a small girl. The twisted evil in this world really astounds me. My god, after this monologue, i can guarantee there was not a single dry eye in the entire hall, believe you me!! This was the most bruising monologue of them all.
There are many more such monologues, with Sonali introducing each one and she also throws out the statistics that I have been mentioning throughout this review.
Why should you see this play?
Hmmm.. let me see... Considering that more than 1/2 the world is feminine, considering that there is no doubt that the Woman (Shakti & the Mother) is the reason we are all here, considering that there is no way the world can progress if we don’t stop treating her as an appendage and restore her to the pride of place she rightly deserves... Considering all this, I would say..
GO AND WATCH THIS PLAY IF ITS THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO!!
Please understand one thing: SILENCE = DEATH.
The hottest corners of hell are reserved for the Fence-Sitter. It is each and every one of us who can make a difference in this world. We come into contact with numerous women in our daily lives. If we just start behaving more sensitively towards them, the world will automatically become a better place. Spread the word!!!
Lastly, let me also add that I will be extremely proud to call myself an MSian if without censorship and changes they publish this review. It would be a welcome relief since this play had to face numerous problems not just in India, but in the States, Europe and other parts of the world before it could be released and its a remarkable achievement that this play actually saw the light in India. Makes me feel a lot better about our otherwise extremely hypocritic society.
Cheers and Peace
Best to watch with: Spouse/Partner
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