V Balakrishnan’s new play, ‘Relentless’, explores love through a mythological drama

V Balakrishnan’s Relentless, to be staged in Bengaluru, reimagines the myth of Rishyasringa and explores the essence of love

Relentless’s creator V Balakrishnan traces its genesis to his 2010 play, Red Queens of the Black Knight. While exploring the lives of sex workers throughout history, he encountered the myth of Rishyasringa, a recurring figure in Mahabharata and Ramayana, often associated with drought and salvation.

Rishyasringa, a sage with the horns of a deer, lives in seclusion until he is lured to a kingdom suffering from drought, as his presence is prophesied to bring rain. Enchanted by the courtesans sent by the king, he leaves his forest home, and the rains follow him. Eventually, he marries the king’s daughter, Shanta, and brings prosperity to the land.

Intrigued by this story, which has a happily-ever-after conclusion, Balakrishnan wondered about the fate of a courtesan who played a pivotal role in this myth. This curiosity ignited the spark for Relentless, a play that delves into the untold story of the woman behind the legend. “I wanted to explore what happens to the courtesan after that point,” Balakrishnan says, “This urge to delve into her story drove me to write the script.”

Premiered in Chennai earlier this year at the Goethe Institut, Relentless, Balakrishnan says it garnered positive responses, encouraging the team to expand its reach.

Though the characters are from venerated Indian epics, “I wouldn’t call it an adaptation because it’s an imagined mythology on my part,” clarifies Balakrishnan. While rooted in the familiar framework of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Relentless reimagines the story. It takes off from the original drought-ending resolution and introduces a new challenge: incessant rain threatening to drown the land. This sets the stage for a gripping exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human nature.

Balakrishnan also created the characters of Kanupriya and Amaladitya, to drive the narrative. “Their creation and development happened at the spur of the moment and have no direct connection to the original mythology.”

According to Balakrishnan, Relentless is a profound exploration of love. He believes that love emerges as the enduring force despite the play’s tragic undertones. “The story is about love. It’s about love and what it truly means,” he explains. “What is this love? How do we identify it? What does it mean? The play is about discovering the true essence of this word.”