A tale of a time-traveling princess

Surpanakha or Suparnaka, Ravana’s sister is seen as a minor character in the Ramayana and plays a marginal role even in the retellings of the story in Sri Lanka. Yet, the conflict between Rama and Ravana was ignited by an incident involving Suparnaka. Then, she disappears from the narrative altogether while macro themes such as statehood, sovereignty, authority and social norms start dominating the plot. How would we experience the narrative of Rama and Ravana if we witnessed it through Suparnaka’s eyes? The play explores this question through a reimagining of Suparnaka’s story.

Feeling trapped and longing to know what’s beyond the boundaries of her world, the rebellious princess dreams of riding her brother’s Pushpaka Vimana or the Dandumonaraya to worlds unknown. She dares to embark on a life altering quest, where she meets two twenty-first century artists, Nimal and Janaki. Nimal lives in his fantasy world of Tahiti and Gauguin’s models while his wife, Janaki, struggles to find her footing in an art world dominated by a patriarchal outlook.

Consequently, the adventurous journey of an ancient mythical figure intersects with the contemporary consumerist, individualist life experiences in a world ravaged by violence and pollution. Will Suparnaka’s journey end here or is it just the beginning?