Women’s conversations are often dismissed as gossip — a petty sidetrack to the ‘real’ talk believed to happen in men’s worlds. But for several women, ‘gossip’, whispered in kitchens, salon chairs, near the well, in school canteens, and on country roads, has sustained them. In the margins of power, they have built trust circles, shared joys, made escape plans, and held each other up. Thudippu Dance Foundation’s all-women dance drama Gossip demonstrates how women’s gatherings, dismissed as idle talk, are in fact lifelines of care in a world that does not hear them enough.
When Gossip opens, we see three women, enclosed within three separate window frames, leading their own lives. If time permits, they steal moments to come together. Eventually, this camaraderie becomes their source of strength, sisterhood, and transformation.
The performance, featuring Anjali Krishnadas, Ponnu Sanjeev, and Greeshma Narendran, premiered at the Kochi Muziris Biennale on January 26.
“We were sure about our intention to interrogate patriarchal structures that inhibit women from coming together. But we were concerned that the responses would polarise into a man versus woman narrative. The appreciation after the premiere was pleasantly overwhelming. We got a standing ovation,” says Anjali, who conceptualised and directed Gossip along with Ponnu.
Anjali and Ponnu met many years ago at a dance training institute in Mumbai. Their friendship eventually culminated in the co-founding of Thudippu Dance Foundation, where they teach classical dance. “We both wanted to cultivate a safe, non-judgemental movement space. That is how we started Thudippu five years ago in Kochi,” Anjali says.
Gossip is Thudippu’s second production, inspired by the performers’ own personal experiences and observations. Anjali and Ponnu began brainstorming the piece a year ago, keen to depict how women are uplifted and thrust ahead through their friendships with other women.
“We were clear that the production would centre on female friendships, and interrogate patriarchal structures, but the decision to convey it through gossip came later. My friend Meera gave me the seed of the idea surrounding gossip. The history of the word gossip, I then figured, is related to women gathering around, especially after childbirth, to discuss what is going on in the outside world. But the world ascribes no value to such circles. So we thought, why not use gossip as a vehicle to subvert the dismissal of women’s friendships,” Anjali explains.
Anjali and Ponnu then started looking for a third performer. Being classical dancers, both of them were used to classical performance traditions. To find a middle ground in the movement pattern for Gossip, they roped in Greeshma Narendran, who choreographed the production.
An independent contemporary dancer, Greeshma structured the performance into segments that combine different movement styles with acting, transforming it into a form of movement theatre.
Gossip uses very few props throughout its run time of about 45 minutes. Among them, shoes stand out the most. At different points, all three performers are seen holding men’s shoes in their hands. By the time the performance comes to a close, we see them twirling in bright red heels pulled out from a pile of muddy men’s shoes.
Anjali’s explanation for the use of shoes is revealing.
“In most commercial films, we see a focus on the hero’s shoes — close-up shots of feet with sturdy shoes thumping on the ground and dust spiralling up. We wanted to use a prop that symbolises power, patriarchy, and suppression. But we did not want to use obvious objects either. That is how we zeroed in on shoes. In the end, we give ourselves bright red heels. Red is used to slut-shame women for being too bright or too ‘inviting’, so we wanted to reclaim the colour for ourselves and everyone out there,” she says.
Anjali and Ponnu were also adamant that Gossip be an all-women production. Finding women to handle the technical aspects, however, proved difficult. “We wanted to work with women or queer artists. On the technical side, there are several women, but they are scattered and not given enough opportunities. The most difficult part was finding someone to handle the light design. We reached out to several theatre institutes and groups, and finally, a friend suggested Gouri,” Anjali says.
Gourimanohari, a theatre student at the Kalady University, designed the lighting for Gossip. Music, composition, lyrics, and vocals were handled by Charu Hariharan, with additional vocals by Aparna Harikumar. Costumes were designed by Shilpa Sugunan.
“Often, when men tell women’s stories, we feel slightly misunderstood. So we decided to weave together our own story and tell it ourselves through Gossip. When people come up to us and say they can relate, it really makes us happy. It also reminds us that, despite the passing of time and generations, women’s concerns remain the same. It is still a long, uphill battle,” Anjali says.
After the premiere at the Kochi Biennale, Gossip was performed to a packed hall at Kakkanad’s Blue Collar Collective in February. The team is now preparing for performances at other venues.