Nitish Kumar Bhardwaj

WHAT SHE SAID explores the position of women in a patriarchal society.
Through live music, poetry, dance and acting, Nitish Kumar Bhardwaj and Lara Groeneweg explore the symbolism of the Ettuthokai, the eight anthologies of South Indian literature.

In doing so, they draw inspiration from elaborate conventions and metaphors and craft poetry into the story they want to tell. This Work In Progress they are taking a story from Metamorphoses, about a water nymph, Scylla. In the future, they plan to use this material to delve deeper into Cilappatikaram, an epic from the 5th century. Scylla her story is a mirror for the havoc patriarchy wreaks on women. What she said is a narrative from her perspective, in poetic verse and the scene a reflection of her inner world.

A step back to re-examine how we tell stories, in an attempt to portray lives forced into silence.

Written, directed and performed by Nitish K. Bhardwaj, Co-written, choreographed and performed by Lara Groeneweg. Nitish Kumar Bhardwaj is an actor, director and writer of poetry and plays He studied multimedia and animation where he researched the anthropological approach ‘rasā’ through dramaturgy and how it can touch audiences.

His play ‘Kalki Avtar Pe Mukadama’ won the national drama competition in Jaipur, Rajasthan. And a series of his poems were published as a book by Chinmaya Gyanpeeth Publications, New Delhi. Nitish realized a docudrama on environmental education (University of Dayton). He is also filming and directing a docu on a dance project by choreographer Jo-An Lauwaert. He also wrote and directed a short film about depression and the endless monotony of life, which will premiere this year. And a song he composed from his poetry is being used in an award-winning independent feature film. The story of Scylla is a mirror that reflects the havoc patriarchy wreaks on women. The narration is from her perspective in poetic verse; and the scene a reflection of her inner world.

In collaboration with / In collaboration with kunstZ

Imagery