The Cats Have Got Their Tongue

It’s not difficult to describe Aparna Sen, Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey – the dictionary is full of words that apply.

Consummate. Individualistic. Maverick. Introspective. Layered. Charismatic.

What no dictionary can prepare you for is the reality of a person, outside of the epithets you attach to them.

That’s why our encounter with them at Algebra was still a revelation.

In a feisty, nuanced conversation with Algebra’s Shoma that spanned female friendship and desire, respect and space, creative choices and personal ones, the three powerhouses on stage were at once highly individualistic, yet bound by a few unifying threads.

Their feminist fathers, who took as a given – and more, a duty – their daughters’ right to live their best lives. Their own conviction in their right to make choices – and mistakes. Their desire to negotiate a professional space not limited by gender, even if each recognised that gender could not be wished away. Their courage, both in their professional choices and their personal ones.

The newest demonstration of that courage was Sonata, Aparna’s interpretation of Mahesh Elkunchwar’s play by the same name, a psychological exploration of the lives of three unmarried women facing a mid-life crisis. That crisis was nowhere evident on stage, though, as they spoke with candour, with clarity and with astonishing compassion of the complex lives of women.

Watch the riveting full session above.