It’s a tale of Tagore’s women, only from a 21st century perspective and is open to exploration of the concepts of what a modern woman is like. Is it good to be a Prachina (traditional) or is Nobina (modern) the need of the hour? Isheeta Ganguly’s (below) Three Women comes to Calcutta on January 12 as part of ITC Hotels’ WelcomTheatre initiative. t2 caught up with the producer-writer-director to delve deeper into the Nobina-Prachina debate.

A conversation with Satyajit Ray had prompted you to create Three Women. What did he say?

There was a spark in Mr Ray’s eye when he asked if I’d seen Mahanagar (I hadn’t). As the ultimate feminist, he understood the complexity of a woman’s mind and the nuance of her motivations much like Tagore did. He described Mahanagar as an urban woman’s journey into finding her own — starting to go to work once her husband loses his job, with lipstick on, to the horror of her in-laws. He said that he felt this was a story about a woman’s triumph to find purpose with passion. This was right after we had discussed Charu (from Charulata) being only temporarily ‘saved’ by Amal to find her own — but falling apart the minute he leaves. Similarly, Bimala (from Ghare Baire) shrivels up once Sandeep and Nikhil desert her.

Curious from an academic and personal perspective, I had asked him, “What are the feministic implications of these two women trying to self-actualise and then falling apart once they lose their ‘inspiration’?” He dodged the question saying that his films were only adaptations of Tagore’s novellas. So the part of the conversation on Mahanagar right after inspired the thought of creating a more contemporary 21st century urban ending for Charu and Bimala to answer the underlying ‘who am I and who do I matter to?’.

Nobina versus Prachina — which side of the spectrum do you belong to?

It depends on which time of the day you ask me. Filling in to make meals and tiffin in the kitchen (not my ‘flo’ space) against meeting deadlines and/or dealing with two sweet but rebellious boys can be overwhelming and certainly make one feel like they are stuck in a prachin period drama, but one learns to redefine what makes a woman a Nobina or a Prachina. It’s the no-judgment zone — realising that neither is inherently good or bad. Manda, amidst weaving her paan leaves in Charulata, is the ultimate urban woman without most realising it — she truly doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her aspirations. She could weave her paan leaves with the same passion that others (Charu) could write a novel with. So in the Nobina vs Prachina debate, she is truly the Nobina! She is the embodiment of what the millennials would say, “be you, do you”. So ultimately, there is great wisdom to be drawn from her character.

You have a new cast this time — Avantika Akerkar, Mahnaz Damania and Chriss Ann Perreira — members trained at New York’s Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Why this change and how does it contribute to the narrative and the production as a whole?

These actors — Mahnaz and Avantika — add a dynamic, global flair to the production. A part of the journey of finding our own as women today is juggling different social and cultural contexts. New York City is where I came into my adulthood as a woman, a professional and a performing artiste, so it’s where the genesis of this production lies. Stella Adler Studio of Acting is an outstanding academy for theatre. Having actresses who are method-acting trained and have also bridged different cultures and identities between New York and Mumbai add great dimension to the performance, which has a cross-cultural undertone and comedy laced with an urban sensibility.

The play will also have a fresh musical score by Bolly music director Pritam...

Both recording and working with Pritamda has been an honour of a lifetime. I have never met anyone in the industry who is so humble and remains so consistently true to his Bangali roots. I don’t follow a vocal sadhana routine regularly at all, so was completely flustered on my way to his studio. I kept thinking of his hits from Life in a... Metro or Dhoom and thinking my performance would pale in comparison. But the minute I walked in, his warmth and passion for the project put me at complete ease. People who have known him for the past two decades from one chartbuster to the next, say he hasn’t changed one bit. He focuses on being in ‘flo’ to put his best creative output forward and letting the rest happen.

Charulata from Nashtaneer, Bimala from Ghare Baire and Kadambari Devi, the poet’s sister-in-law — who do you feel closest to as a modern woman?

I think I am most like Chitra from my latest play Sundays with Chitra & Chaitali, which has been inspired by Tagore’s Chitra. My 21st century character is an alpha woman who struggles to balance her yin and yang and has to reconcile between being docile and assertive in her pursuits and relationships.

Sibendu Das