Play to stage fight for justice

An award- winning social play is coming to Bengaluru on Sunday. It depicts how the marginalised are denied justice.

Though a fictional story, ‘God’s Will’ is inspired and informed by news reports on the Moga bus tragedy of 2015, says its director V Balakrishnan.

In the true story, a teenage girl died while her mother sustained serious injuries when they allegedly jumped out of a moving bus in Punjab to escape their molesters. The bus company was reportedly owned by the then ruling Badal family. After fighting for justice, the parents turned hostile. They were offered hefty compensation, and a government job to one member of the family.

Given the sensitive subject, the play is open for theatre-goers aged 16 and above. Even members of the cast were given access to clinical psychologists and drama therapists to help cope with a traumatic subject such as this, says Balakrishnan, who is the founder and artistic director of Theatre Nisha from Chennai. “Plus, all the actors are seasoned and have their own processes to look at scripts like this objectively,” he says.

He wants to use his theatre group to reflect on serious issues like justice, tragedy and grief. “By listening to each other’s stories, we can uplift the society,” he says.

‘God’s Will’ was the joint winner of the Sultan Padamsee Playwriting Award 2022.

On July 2, 3.30 pm, at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar. Tickets are available online and at the venue.