OTTAM: BORN TO RUN

Set Design | Tamaasha Theatre

Written and Directed by: Sapan Saran

Synopsis
Set in the world of athletics, Ottam: Born to Run traces the life of Akai Amaran, a Paraiyar girl from rural Tamil Nadu who battles caste and class barriers to become one of India's leading track and field athletes.

Her arduously created world collapses when she is asked to undertake a gender verification test. Akai's existence, further highlighted by her victories, challenges socially established norms and exposes the structures that determine who gets to compete, belong and be recognised.

In Akai's words: "In any race, what's of utmost importance is... to go on running! Ottam!"

Described by senior sports journalist Sharda Ugra as "the most original, truthful, creatively imagined depiction of Indian sport made for the stage", Ottam examines the intersections of caste, class, gender and sport through the story of a woman who refuses to stop running.

Set Design Note
The design began with two images: the Parai and an infinite running track. I was interested in creating a larger-than-life, almost infinite quality for both, bringing together the distinctive texture of the instrument and the seemingly endless geometry of an athletics track.

The Parai, a traditional Tamil percussion instrument deeply rooted in the cultural history of the Paraiyar community, became an important visual and conceptual reference. Traditionally made with a wooden frame, often fashioned from neem or jackfruit, and a playing surface of animal hide, sometimes specifically calf skin, the instrument carries a history that extends far beyond its sound. Historically associated with Dalit communities and caste-assigned labour, the Parai and its practitioners have faced generations of social stigma. Today, the instrument is also reclaimed as a powerful expression of cultural identity, dignity and resistance. Its materiality, texture and history informed the visual language of the set.

At the heart of the design was Akai's relationship with her father and the beat of his Parai. I imagined Akai as someone who could keep running for hours, endlessly, carried forward by the rhythm of her father's instrument. The running track became an extension of this rhythm: a continuous, infinite loop that held her memories, aspirations and determination. The beat of her father's Parai became the force that propelled her forward.

Equally important was the need to create a space that could accommodate the physical and choreographic demands of the production. With movement and choreography driving much of the play, I wanted to give the director an expansive stage and the freedom to compose movement across it. The spatial arrangement was designed to create different pockets across the stage, allowing multiple scenes, relationships and configurations to emerge. The set needed to remain adaptable, offering the performers and director the freedom to continually transform the space without being confined to a prescribed playing area.

The intention was to create a world that felt simultaneously expansive and flexible: a landscape where the materiality of the Parai, the rhythm of its beat and the movement of the performers could coexist. A space where Akai could keep running, beyond the boundaries of the stage, carried by a rhythm that connects her to her father and her history.

Production Credits
Writer and Director: Sapan Saran
Producer: Tamaasha Theatre
Set Design: Meghna Roy Choudhury
Set Execution: Vivek Jadhav
Assistant Director: Aaryan Tandon
Choreographer: Maithily Bhupatkar
Music Composers: Adalarasu, Satish Krishna
Vocals: Jahnvi Shrimankar, Parvati Ramachandran
Tamil Lyrics: Adalarasu, Raghuram Godavarthi
Additional Composition: Sukant Goel
Costume Design: Kalyani Gugle
Lighting Design: Hidayat Sami
Sound Design: Swar
Cast: Aayush Thakur, Chetna Dhyani, Deepali Badekar, Dipika Pandey, Janhvi, Prabhakar, Prabhakar Mathapati, Shashank Pallav, Shweta Mishra, Sushama Deshpande and Vijay David.
Theatre Curator, Serendipity Arts Festival: Mahesh Dattani.

Press and Publications
The Wire
How Can One Define What it Means to Be a Woman? The Making of Ottam
https://thewire.in/culture/how-can-one-define-what-it-means-to-be-a-woman-the-making-of-ottam

Mid-Day
Mumbai Theatre Spotlights Caste, Gender and Sport Through Ottam
https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/theatre/article/mumbai-theatre-spotlights-caste-gender-and-sport-through-ottam-23610258

Mumbai Theatre Guide
Ottam: Born to Run
https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/

Serendipity Arts Festival
2025 Festival Catalogue
https://serendipityarts.org/