Heterosexual couple in a bind for Veedu Vadagaikku

CHENNAI: In an alternate universe, it is a married heterosexual couple whose love is being judged and goes through skepticism. Here, being heterosexual is uncustomary, finding ‘Veedu Vadagaikku’, comes with immense challenges.

Veedu Vadagaikku, a 15-minute Tamil short play penned by Nitin Shankar K and Vasanthi Swetha, prompts the audience to ponder the significance of acceptance, and the impact of societal norms on human connections.“Relationships are foundational to any society and it’s almost impossible to not notice the ever-evolving dynamics of it. However, for a long time now, we haven’t been encouraged enough to speak openly about our relationships, and we have lacked the vocabulary to express our sexualities. Anything mildly deviant from the conventional is immediately looked at as a flaw,” states Vasanthi, co-writer of the play and a PhD student at Technical University of Munich in Germany.

One day, as Nitin entered his apartment building after returning from work, he stumbled upon a board which read, “To-let: vegetarians only”. That is when an idea sparked his confused mind. It was also inspired by a lot of ‘single women’ from the city, who consumed non-vegetarian products around him, who struggled to find houses on rent. “This made me come up with different circumstances under which one can be denied a house, and just reversed the same. With this half-baked script without knowing how to carry it forward, I reached out to Vasanthi. She and I have been close friends for ages, and went to college and work together,” says Nitin, the co-writer of Veedu Vadagaikku, a full-time Economics research professional, an actor and a model.

With a common goal to turn the tables and talk about the relationships around us, and ask ourselves why do we think there is only one right way for love to exist, the heterosexual couple from Veedu Vadagaikku embark on this journey, where the play delves into the complexities of discrimination, prejudice, and societal expectations, offering a thought-provoking reflection on empathy and understanding. “This play does not aim to preach, or help delineate right from wrong; instead the goal is to hold up a mirror, and then see how many of us identify with the reflections we see in this mirror and how much of it does our mind approve of. Most of us from a very young age aren’t taught to be open minded about our opinions,” Vasanthi elucidates.

“We are inherently defensive, and almost close all doors for conversations that are even slightly different from those that we agree with. Therefore, this play helps open some of those doors, and enunciate that in some circumstances we don’t have to pick sides, because it is not even our game to play,” she adds. The play, set in the streets of Chennai is inspired by the existing happenings of the city, was a thoughtful decision made by Vasanthi and Nitin for it to be presented in Tamil. “We have also tried our best to vet our script with as many people from the LGBTQIA+ community as possible to make sure we are not misappropriating the discourse,” Nitin states.

Will the heterosexual couple triumph over the societal norms of this alternate reality and find a place to call home? Come find out on February 2, at 1 pm and 6 pm, at Alliance Francaise, Nungambakkam. The play is part of the second edition of the theatre festival, ‘Keeping It Slightly Short (KISS)’ conducted by Poochu’s Production, for young theatre practitioners to showcase their talent.