Belly of the Beast: Why Kalki Koechlin’s Play Stayed With Me
The Play That Made Me Think About Women, Not Just Mothers
Play: Belly of the Beast
✍️ Writers: Kalki Koechlin & Sheena Khalid (adapted from The Elephant in the Womb)
Director: Sheena Khalid
Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Kettan Singh, Amba-Suhasini K. Jhala, Rachel D’Souza, Shanaya Rafaat & Shruti Vyas
Presented by Aadyam Theatre – Season 8
About The Play - Belly Of The Beast
Staged by Aadyam Theatre, Belly Of The Beast brings on stage five women who move through different stages of motherhood – pregnancy, labour, postpartum, raising young children, and learning to let go.
As their lives change, they transform into mythical creatures, reflecting the emotional and physical intensity of motherhood.
Kalia’s fury and frustration take the form of a dragon. Violet is as conflicted as the vampire. Luna channels the werewolf’s primal instincts. Aranya yearns for the spider demon’s unwavering efficiency. And, Twinkle represents the unicorn’s healing spirit.
This play is adapted from the book The Elephant in the Womb by Kalki Koechlin.
How Was The Play - Belly Of The Beast
There were moments that made the audience laugh, and then, almost immediately, fall silent. That silence said more than words ever could.
(The Beast) doesn’t try to make motherhood look beautiful. It lets it be what it often is.. messy, lonely, funny, painful, overwhelming, and deeply transformative.
What really got to the better side of me is that the play isn’t interested in giving you answers or taking sides. It simply reminds you that behind every romanticised version of motherhood is a woman carrying a story only she truly knows. We spend so much time talking about mothers that we often forget the woman who exists behind the title. The woman with fears she never says out loud, anger she feels guilty for, dreams she quietly packs away, and love so immense that it changes the shape of her life.
As I sat there, I couldn’t help but wonder about my own mother. What parts of herself did she leave behind? Which dreams did she postpone so mine could take shape? What grief did she carry without ever letting it reach us? There are questions we never think to ask our mothers until it’s almost too late.
Every mother carries a story that the world will never fully know. Belly of the Beast doesn’t try to speak for her. It simply makes space for her to exist, in all her contradictions. I love when art does that to the consumers of art. Not explain someone, but help us see a particular subject with a little more clearly.
The use of shadow puppetry, live music and movement were so brilliantly used that it reminds me why I LOVE theatre and how much I appreciate the artists. Every element.. from the lighting and sound to the set design, comes together seamlessly, creating an immersive theatrical experience.
I don’t think this play is only for mothers. I think it’s for anyone who has ever loved one, been raised by one, or simply wants to understand the weight women carry.
If they are performing in your city, please go.
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