Zulwa

Background

The book Zulwa was adapted into a play written by Chetan Datar for Marathi theatre. The play was an adaptation of the novel by Uttam Bandu Tupe who spent two years in a colony of jogtis to research the novel.

Plot

The story is about a young Devadasi girl who does not want to continue the family's tradition of Zulva. Zulva is a ritual whereby a man keeps a jogti as his mistress. The story, the beauty of the language, the crass tongue of the eunuch, the raw reality, the live music and the pungent smell of haldi thrown into the air after the initiation ceremony was striking.