For progress to be made, there is often a cost that comes with it, whether we like it or not. When Nirmala put her belief in the wrong god, how was she to know she had made a deal with the devil?
Written by S. Shakthidharan, known notably for his epic 3-hour tale Counting and Cracking, and co-directed with Hannah Goodwin, The Wrong Gods takes you through the tumultuous relationship of a mother and daughter and the complexities and impacts of globalisation on small community.
Through their conflict, the story explores the tensions of ‘old vs. new’, tradition, progress, and the determination of the community against the capitalistic gods that wish to use them as a pawn in the globalisation game.
In the heart of India, along the banks of a river in the valley, we are introduced to Nirmala (Nadie Kammallaweera) a headstrong, value driven farmer and head of her village, and Isha (Radhika Mudaliyar) her ambitious daughter, a dreamer; eager to break the generational expectations set for her, to explore the vast city and become a scientist.
Nirmala has sacrificed her body to the land for years to ensure that the village thrives and survives. Her home, land and gods are everything to her. Although now that her husband has left, Isha is the only one she can rely on. Isha is questioning her beliefs and resents having to stay home from school to help with the farm. Nirmala and Isha quarrel over their conflicting values, torn between tradition and modernity. This relationship pulls at your heartstrings as no party is morally incorrect, and it is presented in a way that I’m certain many mother-daughter duos can relate to.
Nirmala and Isha, when confronted with the news of big American developers coming to the village, both pray to the goddess for opposing requests. Nirmala prays for the developers to be sent away, whilst Isha prays to be sent with them.
As if summoned by the goddess herself, we are greeted by Lakshmi (Vaishnavi Suryaprakash), a well presented, middle-class local and face for the developers. Lakshmi comes to the mother-daughter duo with an offer too good to refuse. With one small bag of seed, a promise of a prosperous farm with minimal labour and a full education for Isha to fulfil her one true dream. A new god has entered the realm, or is it a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Can a promise so good really have no consequence?
The Wrong Gods is a 90-minute one act production held in 2 scenes, across a 7-year timespan. The set, designed by Keerthi Subramanyam, evokes a feeling of grounding and connection to nature through both the colour palette and textured floor, designed like the rings of a century old tree. The circles in which the story is told are bare of props, but not of feeling. Tree rings can represent history, years of life, change and environment which are a strong theme throughout.
Something I quite enjoyed throughout this production was the use of aroma. A unique way to immerse you in the locale of the story. On top of this, the characters often spoke to the audience as if they were the river goddess herself, or the water and the trees.
Following the 7-year time jump, we return to Nirmala’s village. Isha returns after her studies, with Lakshmi, her now boss. Here we begin to see the results of the development deal and the cascading effects on the surrounding villages. Miss Devi as portrayed by Manali Datar was Isha’s city teacher. She has since moved to Nirmala’s village to learn of a different life, juxtaposed to Isha’s desires. Devi who is well educated and spoken, works with Nirmala to communicate with, and on behalf of the village in protest negotiations with the developers, one of which we learn is now Isha.
The new gods, the American developers, are wanting to build dams to provide fresh water to new areas. As a result, Nirmala’s village, and those surrounding are at risk of flooding. Lakshmi and Isha come to warn Nirmala and provide a compromise or perhaps, a sacrifice.
The height of the tension of this play comes in scene two, supported by rain, alluding to the imminent flooding threat. This scene is wrought with emotion, defiance and a very impressive fight, choreographed by Nigel Poulton. Nirmala (Kammallaweera) bares her soul as a mother dedicated to tradition. She could so easily be perceived as a dismissive, stubborn old-woman, unaccepting of outsiders and the advancing world, but Kammallaweera delivers her performance in such a way and with great compelling humour, that it simply isn’t so.
As the story grows, so does her character. Through Nirmala and Devi, we see the sacrifice, determination and protest of the little man against big corporation. Through Lakshmi we view betrayal and the direct impact; emotional and physical, globalisation has on those, and their land, seen so simply as ‘the cost’ of progression.
A small cast with a big impact, The Wrong Gods is a thought-provoking piece of theatre, consisting of themes of tradition, betrayal and unstoppable progress. It is a stark reminder of the finite resources we have available to us, how far corporations are willing to go for progress over sustainability; and the wrong gods that we can put our faith in. A somewhat direct nod to the real stories of rural communities today.
Melbourne Theatre Company‘s The Wrong Gods is currently playing at Arts Centre Melbourne‘s Fairfax Studio until July 12th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2025/the-wrong-gods
Photography by Brett Boardman.
