Anjana Rajan was inspired by a short story written by her father and playwright Lalit Mohan Thapalyal. “We grew up watching his plays and hence, we were always attached to the theatre,” her sister, Vibha Thapalyal (also a theatre artist) recalls. “But we never came across his short stories until after his demise.”
'Gaajar Ka Halwa' is a subtle yet quirky tale of an old woman with cataracts, who lives alone in a big city. But, her blurry vision “doesn’t refrain her from preparing her ‘grandson’s favourite’ gaajar ka halwa”. A burglar then enters the scene and the cloudy-eyed woman mistakes him for his ‘much-awaited’ grandson. Tempted by the sweet dish, the thief cannot resist gobbling it up—karma hits, he chokes and dies.
Also read | India’s first micro-drama event returns with 10-minute plays
This slightly transformed version of her father’s play is essentially “exaggerated”, as the director Rajan adds humorous lilts, and actions like the neighbours gathering around in commotion and dancing to palpitating pulses when the doctor uses a stethoscope. Rajan emphasised that the play is a portrayal of the “uncountable Indian elderly residing in a similar lonesome state as the old woman’s”.
Thespis, India’s first micro-drama festival, is known for its unique 10-minute plays. This year’s edition was a tribute to Sahitya Akademi winner and Malayalam-language playwright and novelist Omcherry N.N. Pillai. According to the secretary of 'Vriksh the Theatre', Ajith G. Maniyan, while the concept of ‘compact-sized drama’ was criticised by many, Pillai profusely backed the idea. The playwright passed away on November 22, 2024, at the age of 100.
When the group was preparing for Hearts That Wrote History—a drama based on V.P. Menon’s life—the theatre was struggling for funds. “It was Prakash Vaddikal, a Kerala film director,” Maniyan remarks, “who suggested experimenting with a short-format drama which gave way to the idea of ‘micro-drama’”.
'Thespis 4', the fourth edition of the festival was held on February 2, 2025, at LTG Auditorium in New Delhi. The previously held shows took place in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic halted arrangements for the subsequent couple of years until February this year. Maniyan, however, is disappointed by the unpredictability of further events due to staggered funding.
The one-day event featured around 600 artists from across India and 30 plays in multiple languages—-Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Manipuri, Assamese, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Tamil, Marathi, Urdu and even English.
Non-verbal act Bhoothakannadi—-depicting societal oppression faced by females—-was awarded the Best Production award. With thunderous music and high-energy expressions, the stage was fully occupied during the performance with ghostly figures (guising “societal expectations”) hopping across. The ghosts use a ‘magnifying glass’ (or a bhoothakannadi) to lure individuals into believing in traditional, stereotypical standards.
For Puneet, a participant in the act 'Where do I Face', “theatre is the only live-art form that blends other multiple arts—music, dance, acting, crafts and design, and so on.” “This is the place where I am most vulnerable,” he says. “As an actor, I surrender to the director, but as a theatre artist I should be able to prop up the performance with my own creativity and inputs.”
'Madras Kerala Samajam’s Mrithika' was a Malayalam-language play. “The script was touched upon with a Tamil dialect to imitate tribes in the countryside of cities like Chennai”, scriptwriter Deepak Sudhakaran, pointed out. ‘Mrithika’, meaning ‘earth’ or ‘soil’, showed “tactful” capturing of tribal lands by private corporations in the name of development. Sudhakaran’s script was tagged the Best Script.
Joydeep Bhattacharya bagged the Best Actor award for Sukkho Bichaar, the only Bengali performance at the event.
