Director Prakhar Gautam tells Ayushi Sharma that while talking about sexuality and relationships in the country, we need to look at society as a whole rather than just urban set-ups
In the land where Kama Sutra was written, explicit sculptures like the ones at Khajuraho, Ajanta caves and Konark temple prove how sex education and awareness were part of public discourse and sanctified under the hallowed portals of learning at temple complexes. India was not only rich in its heritage and culture but also in its thoughts and mentality which openly accepted nudity in art and public representations of the free spirit beyond the body consciousness. History is evidence of how progressive the mindsets were in the country until a series of invasions led to the alterations in the culture. Of course, things changed further as bigotry of all kinds became a political tool.
Director Prakhar Gautam’s play Let’s Have Sex, which is a rendition of Russian playwright Valentin Krasnogorov’s drama, is based on the dichotomy of a liberated past and a confined present. He says, “I don’t know much about the Russian societal norms, but the taboo has been there for so many years in our society. One has to admit that it’s a highly patriarchal society. We have certainly evolved but the question is, have we really? The society doesn’t just consist of the urban population.”
The play is a satire which does not shy away from talking blunt on issues that we sugarcoat with humour or mask in daily interactions. It stays true to its basic objective of taking the taboo off sex and issues on mental health that require dialogue and open conversations relating to patriarchy, sexual performance, sexual violence and masculinity. The director says that sex is just a biological process. “We never talk about it and even if we do it, the connotation becomes funny. People start to giggle or shy away whenever the topic pops up,” adds he.
The characters in the play talk and think only about sex. However, renditions of the term differ for each of them. The play gets more complicated and tragic as it gets. But while its characters are driven by the most basic of human emotions — loneliness, their yearning for love, their desire to escape their problems — they poignantly and hilariously never get past discussing, arguing about their favorite subject.
While there have been initiatives to make sex education a part of mainstream curriculum, many people are still reluctant to talk about it openly. For many, it is considered to be an offence to Indian “values.” Beyond the metros, there is no acceptance that virginity could indeed be a rare commodity. However, most men are under peer-pressure to lose it and women are under societal pressure to maintain it till the “right” time.
Prakhar says, “If we want to get over with this taboo, we need to start talking more about it. Talking not just within close spaces, but as well in schools and universities. Initially, there will be inertia and resistance, only gradually they will start understanding its importance. Parents must talk about sexual intercourse as a biological process to their children after a certain age. For instance, when we had learnt how to eat food, even that was a new process for us. We didn’t know whether the process was acceptable. We thought that since everyone was doing it, so it was socially acceptable. Same is the case with sex. It’s the need of a human body and a natural process, common to all.”
Talking about the play, he says that it has been written in a very generic manner, so it is valid everywhere. Prakhar apprises us that there is a very fine line between entertaining or vulgarity. The essence has to be in the honesty of the actors. “I am a big believer of method acting. I ask the actors to get into the skin of the characters and analyse the subtext and truth of every line the writer has put on paper. If the actor can convince themselves that this isn’t vulgar or wrong in anyway or beyond the acceptable lines, it won’t even show in their performance. Their conviction should be natural and that’s how it isn’t going to look vulgar in any way. The title of the play has been said a lot of times. Never have I ever tried to make it overly seductive, nor tried to exaggerate the lines. It should not look caricaturish. Hence, I have tried to keep its commonality and relatability intact,” he says. The director tells us that he is “not” very fond of plays that give a very out-and-out message as they come to talk about social issues but keep harping on them throughout. “There needs to be a story. All the great films, which talk about a social issue, are always backed up with a strong storyline. Just like my play is not an out-and-out satire, it’s not talking about this issue. It’s a story of five people and how their lives are an analogy to the Indian society.”
(Presented by The Cacophonee, the play will be staged at 7 pm at Akshara Theatre on June 1 and 2.)