How Srinivas Denchanala has spent four decades giving voice to the voiceless through theatre

For the past three months, a rehearsal space at Dr BR Ambedkar Open University in Hyderabad has been home to the 15-member cast and crew of the Janapadam Modern Travelling Theatre Repertory. They have been preparing Neelaven i, a new Telugu play that was staged at Ravindra Bharathi.

“ Neelaveni is unique because it explores the conflict between unconditional love and physical desire,” says director Srinivas Denchanala. “It is also a postmodern work that questions conventional perceptions of a man’s approach to a woman while giving voice to marginalised and neglected communities through political inquiry.”

The writing credits carry both poet, playwright, actor, critic, stage designer and director Srinivas Denchanala and the late playwright Gollapudi Maruthi Rao. Srinivas explains that while N eelaveni is an original political play, it draws inspiration from one of Gollapudi’s works.