Book description
First staged in Mumbai in 1991, Bravely Fought the Queen juggles
between two spaces - centre stage where an empirical drama removes the
mask of hypocrisy from a seemingly 'normal' urban household; and a
small, rear backdrop from where emerges the raison d'être of each
protagonist. The family in focus is that of two brothers, Jiten and
Nitin, who run an advertising agency and are married to sisters: Dolly
and Alka. Their mother, Baa, moves between the two households, attached
more to her memories of the past than to any present reality. Marital
friction, sibling rivalry, the traditional tension between mother-in-law
and daughters-in-law, the darker moments of business and personal
dealings, the play takes us through the entire gamut of emotional
experience as it winds to a climactic finish. With its relentless pace,
crisp idiom and unflinching insight into the urban milieu, this is a
play that confirms Mahesh Dattani's reputation as India's most
influential playwright.
