Nov 30 2025 to Nov 30 2025 6:30 p.m.

Price: 500 Book/Buy

Where

Courtyard Koota

Ground floor, Good Earth Tarana Good Earth Malhar, near Rajarajeswari medical college Kambipura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560074

Event Description

A shadow puppetry play by Sachin and the Tholu Bommalata artisans

About the play
An adaptation of Slawomir Mrozek’s story “The Elephant”, using theatre and shadow puppetry to create a new language in the Tholu Bommalata form.

About Sachin Ravindran
Sachin is an actor and singer. He is trained in Carnatic music for eight years. He is also a Kalaripayattu practitioner. He worked as an architect for two years before deciding to pursue his passion for theatre, to that end he trained himself in acting and theatre making from the Drama School Mumbai (DSM). After graduating from DSM he has been working with Our Theatre Collective, Bangalore and Indianostrum Theatre, Pondicherry. He is trained in Therukoothu and Ottan Thullal, theatre forms from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He is also pursuing a career on screen and has acted in a short film and movement videos.

About artisans and art 

Tholu Bommalata: Shadows that Tell Stories

Tholu Bommalata, literally meaning “the dance of leather dolls”, is the traditional shadow puppetry art of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Combining craftsmanship, theatre, and music, it transforms hand-painted and hole-punched translucent leather puppets into glowing silhouettes that narrate stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and local folklore.

Artisans treat goat hide until it becomes parchment-like, then cut and paint intricate figures using natural pigments. The puppets are perforated to let light pass through, creating jewel-like patterns when projected on screen. Traditionally performed by travelling troupes accompanied by live music and narration, Tholu Bommalata is both craft and performance — an illuminated world of gods, demons, and dancers.

*Tickets are mandatory for all.