Actress Ruks Khandagale And Shakespeare Part 21

Beyond the acting, Part 21 is a technical marvel. Sound designer Alokananda Dasgupta has created a score that blends Elizabethan lute music with the harsh drone of a tanpura and the industrial clang of Mumbai’s local trains. Lighting designer Arghya Lahiri uses only four lights—red, white, blue, and a shifting amber—to create 21 distinct emotional landscapes.

Equally impressive is Khandagale’s physical transformation. She learned the Kalaripayattu martial art form for two years to execute a single 30-second sequence where she fights a shadow. “The shadow is Shakespeare,” she jokes. “And I’m winning.” actress ruks khandagale and shakespeare part 21

The timing of Part 21 is no accident. As the global theatre community grapples with questions of decolonization, gender parity, and the ethics of performing classical texts with problematic origins, Khandagale offers a third path. She does not cancel Shakespeare; she cross-examines him. Beyond the acting, Part 21 is a technical marvel

“Ruks isn’t rewriting Shakespeare for a modern audience,” wrote theatre critic Anupama Chopra in The Indian Express. “She is rewriting the modern audience’s relationship with Shakespeare. Part 21 is not a performance; it is an exorcism.” Beyond the acting

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