How Bhyrappa’s iconic novel Parva inspired Prakash Belawadi to turn it into an eight-hour play

“I had said galore foolish things astir him,” begins Prakash Belawadi, a renowned movie and theatre actor, writer and director, arsenic helium talks astir his relation with Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa, who passed distant connected September 24, 2025, astatine the property of 94. Bhyrappa’s Kannada novels specified arsenic Vamshavruksha, Nayi Neralu and Tabbaliyu Neenade Manage were made into films (most of which won awards and accolades connected the nationalist and planetary platforms).

Bhyrappa’s Parva - A Tale of War, Peace, Love, Death, God and Man, acclaimed arsenic a modern classic, is simply a retelling of the Mahabharata through idiosyncratic reflections of its main characters. The communicative is acceptable conscionable earlier the Kurukshetrawar and begins with the Madra king, Salya and uses monologues (a method utilized successful theatre) arsenic a literate technique. Parva was adapted into a play by Prakash, who archetypal met the legendary writer, astatine a seminar.

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“It was sometime earlier 2009, though I don’t retrieve the nonstop year,” says Prakash. “I tin hardly telephone it a ceremonial meeting. What I bash retrieve is sharing the signifier with him astatine the ‘Nudisiri’ lawsuit successful Moodbidri, wherever I had to measurement successful arsenic a talker astatine the past minute, aft the scheduled impermanent failed to crook up. At the time, however, I was unfamiliar with his writings, arsenic I was inactive profoundly influenced by left-wing ideologies. But, my mother, theatre and movie property Bhargavi Narayan was a immense instrumentality of his works. During my speech, I raised a question astir wherefore cinema faced censorship portion lit did not. To which, Bhyrappa aboriginal responded, saying, ‘If filmmakers excessively made films responsibly, determination would beryllium nary request for censorship’.”

In 2012, erstwhile Prakash happened to work the English mentation of Parva, he was was amazed that a writer could beryllium truthful bold. “I got his interaction from writer Vijayamma and reached retired to him to question support to crook Parva into a play. He wanted to cognize if I would signifier Parva arsenic an all-night play oregon with each enactment staged connected antithetic days. He besides asked, ‘I anticipation you won’t contiguous Ekalvya and Karna arsenic naxalites oregon Kunti arsenic a feminist successful the play’,” shares Prakash, adding with a laughter that helium astir gave up the thought since it was hard figuring retired however to accommodate it to stage.

By then, Prakash had work Bhyrappa’s Matadana “only due to the fact that I had to enactment successful T.N. Seetharam’s serial of the aforesaid name. I did not deliberation the publication was a large work, but past I work his autobiography, Bhitti, and was stunned by the man, the property and his life. Then, I watched movies based connected his books, Vamshavruksha and Gruhabhanga, and work Nayi Neralu as I had to constitute a review. In my review, I retrieve I wrote, Bhyrappa is simply a writer who writes without being amazed by life. It was immature connected my portion to adjacent reappraisal his penning erstwhile I had not work each of his works and that deed maine hard.”

In 2012, Prakash directed Yashwanth Sital’s Shikari, “which, similar Parva, is besides a watercourse of consciousness novel. So, I gained immoderate acquisition successful opening up the interiority successful an outer dialogic form.” Hence, erstwhile Addanda Cariappa, manager of Rangayana, Mysuru, invited Prakash to nonstop a play for them, helium chose Parva.

“Though Bhyrappa lived successful Mysuru, Rangayana had ne'er staged immoderate of his works. Parva brought maine successful interaction with the writer, whom I archetypal met astatine his residence successful 2020. He again asked maine however I would accommodate it to the signifier and said, ‘Please don’t adhd your near oregon close leanings to it’. I replied, “Sir, Parva is your mentation of the Mahabharata. I volition not reinterpret it, but volition beryllium faithful to your mentation and prime what I tin for an eight-hour play. I volition constitute the script, you work it, past fto maine cognize if we tin spell ahead. He agreed, work the script, loved it and Parva came live connected the stage.”

Prakash shares the 3 large factors successful Parva that deed him hard.“First, Bhyrappa did distant with each the boons. Second, helium besides recovered a mode to rationalise the miraculous commencement mentioned successful the epic. Lastly, helium humanised the characters, adjacent calculating their age.” Besides these, what stood retired for Prakash is the mode Bhyrappa treats women successful his writings. For instance, Kunti’s views astir Pandu and his virility and helium failing to fulfil her sensual desires.It is the astir outstanding facet astir the novel.”

“ Prakash points retired however 1 cannot disregard the mode Bhyrappa has built the subaltern characters, who are depicted arsenic having utter contempt for the ruling class. He besides questions the precise thought of inheritance successful Parva and raises it done Ekalavya.

Prakash says, “It was lone erstwhile I work his work, I asked myself wherefore did I ever constitute truthful foolishly astir him. By then, his son, Uday, told maine that galore radical had called Bhyrappa and advised him not to springiness maine the signifier rights of Parva. Bhyrappa’s acceptance of maine and my publication came arsenic a blessing. I felt I had crossed an important threshold successful theatre. Because Parva changed my position of theatre.”

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Besides rehearsals, Bhyrappa had watched 12 shows of Parva. In Bengaluru, connected May 19, 2025, “We cancelled a amusement connected a Friday and had to reschedule it for a Monday. After the show, I asked however galore had travel connected Friday and gone back. And Bhyrappa, from ‘J’ row, lifted his manus and a idiosyncratic down him took that memorable picture. For me, it was the astir humbling moment.