Come join us at The People’s Forum for a reading of the new one-act play by Niranjani Reddi, directed by Malini Singh McDonald!
Seeking Fair and Lovely : Rishtas and Rasas (The Reading)
’Seeking Fair and Lovely : Rishtas and Rasas’ is a one-act play that takes place in a matchmaking office in Portland. It follows the families of the boy(Hrithik) and girl(Nidhi), as well as the matchmaker(Sakshi) as they attempt to get Hrithik and Nidhi married. Told through a style inspired by classical Sanskrit drama, the play showcases each scene based on a particular emotion, that helps drive the story forward. As the play progresses, we begin to learn why Hrithik’s family is so hesitant to get their son married to Nidhi – and why Nidhi’s family has told her to conceal her last name.
The story attempts to shed light on beauty standards, colorism and the caste system as it relates to first-generation Indian-American immigrant families and children. ’Seeking Fair and Lovely’ asks the questions; “How do we participate in the oppression of those in our own communities?”, “How do we pass on what we have been conditioned to believe to our children?”, and “What will it cost to break free of these cruel, centuries-long ideologies?”.
