Rangashankara

Bikhre Bimb

Girish Karnad's "Bikhre Bimb" is among the most successful plays produced recently in India. The play has seen more than 100 shows and has been invited to all the major festivals of India. Arundhati Nag's masterly portrayal of two characters in a skillfully conceived plot has won her accolades and awards. Girish Karnad has directed the play along with the young K M Chaitanya, who has also made a name for himself in Kannada films and Television.

The one-act one-performer play tells the story of Manjula Nayak, a professor of English literature who has been an unsuccessful writer in Kannada. She finds international acclaim when she writes a novel in English, which becomes a bestseller.

The story starts with her introducing the audience to her novel in a TV studio, prior to a film on it is telecast. After she finishes her introduction, she is confronted by her own image on the screen which poses questions on betrayal of her language and identity when she chooses to write in English.