Revenge wears a crown: Aditya Rawal’s The Queen brings a Forgotten monarch’s fury to life

4 min readPuneJul 2, 2026 10:42 PM IST

Award-winning playwright and actor Aditya Rawal brings his acclaimed historical drama The Queen to Pune

In a fictional kingdom of Banasvan in the 16th century, King Amar has taken a young woman as spouse, casting aside his first wife, Durga. Confined to a forgotten wing of the grand palace, Durga festers with deep feelings of betrayal, bitterness and revenge. Beyond the ramparts, however, the Mughal star is in its ascendancy. Emperor Akbar’s diktat to the lesser kingdoms is simple and direct– submission or war. How does Durga’s wrath as a woman spill into the turbulent political waters and influence the fate of the kingdom of which she is queen?

A theatrical production, The Queen, will have its first Pune show at SLR Black Box, Tilak Road, on July 4. Significantly, The Queen will introduce the city’s theater goers to the first professional play written by Aditya Rawal, an award-winning theatre and film artist from Mumbai. Directed by Daniel Owen D’Souza, the play has been brought to Pune by Spotlight Forum, in collaboration with 72 degrees East Productions.

“Real historical events were an inspiration for me, but not the sole inspiration. The Queen was also inspired by relationships I had seen at close quarters as well as great works, such as Macbeth and Medea. With Medea (the protagonist of Greek tragedy who murders her two children to avenge her husband Jason’s betrayal), I didn’t understand how a woman could do what she did. When I started writing The Queen, I found that my Queen does something equally desperate,” says Rawal.

“The Queen was also inspired by relationships I had seen at close quarters as well as great works, such as Macbeth and Medea.” – Aditya Rawal

Born into a family of performers – his parents are Swaroop Sampat and Paresh Rawal and his brother, Aniruddh Rawal, is an actor as well – Rawal was always interested in theatre, even as a child. He performed in school plays and college theatre. “Even while I was playing football professionally, I was interested in theatre. And, when I arrived at a fork in the road, where I had to decide my direction, I decided to delve into film and theatre,” he says.

New York University offered him a scholarship, “a chance that I could not turn down”. Rawal’s post-graduation was in dramatic writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. “It was one of the most formative experiences of my life, not just my professional life but in shaping me as a person as well,” he says. Much of the powerful storytelling in The Queen owes to two years with some of the world’s best professors and talented colleagues at NYU, reading, critiquing work and “writing every day to the point where it set such a habit within me that even today, if I am not shooting, I am definitely writing”.

Since Rawal spent a lot of time writing The Queen, he began to understand the characters so well that his pen began to flow. The characters began to do the talking and take actions that he could not have predicted. The play opened in New York City in 2016 and there were a dozen shows. Rawal won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for the Best Original Script as well as critical and audience appreciation.

The present cast that will bring the play to Pune, a hub of theatre, includes Puja Sarup, Sharvari Deshpande, Danish Hussain and Mukul Chaddha prepares to reveal Queen Durga to Pune. Rawal is keen to hear how the city meets a jilted queen.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.

Professional Background

Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.

Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).

Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.

Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)

Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:

1. Climate & Environment

"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.

"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.

"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.

2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage

"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.

"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.

"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.

3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"

"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.

"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.

"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.

Signature Style

Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.

X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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