Staging Resistance Gender and Feminist Interventions in Vijay Tendulkar's Drama

Abstract: Vijay‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Tendulkar is considered as one of the most significant contemporary voices of Indian theatre and has essentially changed the way social realities are represented in the play. This dissertation reviews the ways in which patriarchal violence and female agency coalesce on Tendulkar's dramatic stage utilizing feminist literary criticism and postcolonial gender theory as a compass. This paper draws upon close reading of the text of five plays: Silence! The Court is in Session (1967); Sakharam Binder (1972); Kamala (1981); The Vultures (1970); Encounter in Umbugland (1967)— to demonstrate how women escape the patriarchal oppression and, at the same time, discover means of agency in, some of which are quite and imperceptible. The study reveals that the depiction of women in Tendulkar's dramatized work is not only a straightforward exegesis of the oppressed, but rather a complicated dialectical relationship between victimization and empowered agency. This research adds to the existing literature by its comprehensive examination of both patriarchal violence and female resistance in Tendulkar's plays making a significant step forward in feminist theatre criticism as well as postcolonial gender ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌studies. Keywords: Vijay Tendulkar, patriarchal violence, female agency, Indian drama, feminist theater, gender studies. Title: Staging Resistance Gender and Feminist Interventions in Vijay Tendulkar's Drama Author: Gowsalya Devi .A International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1218 (print), ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 13, Issue 4, October 2025 - December 2025 Page No: 138-147 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 29-December-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18087289 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/staging-resistance-gender-and-feminist-interventions-in-vijay-tendulkars-drama