Arun Kumar, Raghunandan and Manjama Jogagti.
Maataa, a Kannada play that dwells on the life of Jogati Nritya dancer and former president of Karnataka Janapada Academy, Manjama Jogati, is set to be staged at Ravindra Kalakshetra on Thursday. Written and directed by Belur Raghunandan and performed by Arun Kumar R., it was premiered in May 2023.
With only a handful of plays about sexual minorities in the history of Kannada theatre and in the context of the Jogati tradition, Maataa attracts attention. Though it is the life story of Padma awardee Manjamma, the play also probes questions of femininity, folk art, theatre, family, creativity and so on. The legacy and rich history of Jogati and Ellavva traditions is the crux of this play. The play also has aspects of and takes inspiration from the books Naduve Suliva Hennu by Arun Jolada Kudligi and Jogati Manjamma written by Chandrappa Sobati.
Arun Kumar playing the role of Manjama Jogathi in the play by Raghunandan.
Speaking to The Hindu, director Raghunandan said this is the first Kannada play on the life of Manjamma and the folk-art form. “Kannada theatre has had plays in the past that had minimal inclusion of the art form Jogati Nritya. However, this is the first Kannada play on the life of Manjamma Jogati and on the art form. Though Manjamma hails from Karnataka, many plays on her life have been produced in various other languages.”
Arun Kumar, actor and voice-over artist who portrays the role of Manjamma, says playing the character has been a challenge. “There is a lot of difference between playing a mythological or fictional character and playing the role of a living legend. I had never met or interacted with Manjamma in the past. Even after I started working on the production, I had very short interactions with her. However, with the help of books on her and several videos, I was able to portray this character and also learn the art form Jogati Nritya.“
Tickets for the play that starts at 7 p.m. are available on BookMyShow. Maata will also be showcased on July 13 in Mangaluru and on July 16 in Hubballi.