Fantasy, reality mingle in this gripping anti-morality play

GURUGRAM: Life is never black and white, and neither are the identities that make up humankind. Duality and fluidity are, undeniably, part of the everyday. Yet, many choose to confront this reality, to seek to reject the chaos that is nature. ‘The Two Headed Lore’, a performance like no other, is a withering indictment of such a psychology.
The fantastical is never far away in this bracing 80-minute production, in which masculinity is set against femininity, night against day, light against darkness. Digging into episodes from the epics (the Mahabharata, the Odyssey), ‘The Two Headed Lore’ uses drama, dance, speech and gesture to make a point on the futility of much of modern life, ask awkward questions about power and the nature of sexuality, and shine a generally unflattering light on our times. It also demonstrates that, really, nothing has changed when it comes to conversations (or lack thereof) between men and women.

“Aren’t we trapped in a drugged and dying culture?” asks Mauraya Sharma, who conceived and co-directed ‘The Two Headed Lore’. Mauraya was inspired by, among others, the gender-fluid Shikhandi (a character from the Mahabharata), and by Yakshagana, the strikingly colourful dance drama from Karnataka which draws upon Indian mythology. Mauraya was also intrigued by the role of society in shaping boys and girls. “I wanted to do something different and be who I am, not bound by what I am expected to do,” he said.

So, a woman can only be defined by her ‘man’ (and if she’s out on her own, a Babel of interrogatory voices would make her think twice). A man is only one if he ‘mans’ up (and does things befitting of men). If you’re gay, best not to come out, because you won’t hear the end of it. Keep that forbidden love in the closet, trap those emotions. And if you deviate from the straight-and-narrow, be ready to have your soul singed by disapproval. ‘The Two-Headed Lore’ is a full-frontal mutiny against every establishmentarian mindset, a calling out of the prejudice that betrayed Ahalya, Chitrangada and Penelope.

It makes for often uncomfortable viewing but the energy and intensity invested by the ensemble – the youngest 14, the oldest not yet 30 – ensures the audience is kept thoroughly absorbed. Each of the eight – Astha Aggerwal, Manjari Kaul, Mauraya Sharma, Maya Ghosh, Sayan Sarkar, Sofia K, Tejus Menon and Vikas Gupta – bring a collaborative fire, a this-night-will-never-end edginess, to the proceedings. As a piece of ‘devised physical theatre’, it more than succeeds. And, like all great art, it is fiercely questioning of every status quo devised by man. Hosted by Monkey Business, a co-working space in the city, ‘The Two-Headed Lore’ was presented by Painted Tongue Productions in association with Improper Fractions, a Delhi-based theatre troupe.