Retelling Arabian Nights

Puppeteer Anurupa Roy on her journey, puppetry's evolving role in society, and her latest production, The Nights, at the Triveni Theatre Festival

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

A NURUPA Roy's love for puppetry began at six when her parents gifted her a puppet. "I was performing all the time, fascinated by this world of objects, dolls, and puppets," she recalls. Her interest grew in school when she discovered Delhi's first permanent puppet theatre at the Shri Ram Centre, run by Dadi Pudumjee, founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. At the time, puppetry was seen as a children's art form. But in college, Roy realised its broader potential. "I was 19, performing for friends, and I knew puppetry could engage adults too." In 1998, she founded Katkatha, which in 2006 was recognised as Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, now a pioneering contemporary puppetry company.

A layered story

Now, with over 25 years of experience, Roy and her team are set to stage The Nights at the Triveni Theatre Festival—a retelling of 1001 Arabian Nights, co-written by Neel Chaudhuri and Adithi Rao. The play follows King Shahryar, who, after betrayal, vows to marry and execute a new woman daily—until Scheherazade outwits him with unfinished stories, delaying her fate night after night.