Vol. 8, Issue 5, Part D (2022)

Manjula Padmanabhan is one of the fewest Indian contemporary dramatists who had made a prolific contributor to the theatrical development of the country. She is one such a few female playwrights who reveal the unpleasant side of society and its indifference towards the suffering of women. She focuses more on the female characters rather than on male characters in her work. Her work is mainly dedicated to women. They deal with women’s lives, their status in society, their family, and their mentality. Her work even reveals the sad situation of women from all walks of their life. The main focus of her work is on social issues but mainly where the patriarchal society oppresses women and their behavior. She even claims realistic issues like rape, domestic violence, dowry marriage, etc. Manjula Padmanabhan’s Light Out highlights the dilemma of a woman becoming a male manipulator. This is the attempt of men to demean and dethrone women and later show indifference towards them. This paper deals with the study of Manjula Padmanabhan’s Light Out which specializes in violence and apathy towards the rape victim. The paper additionally researches gang rape and the way intentional excuses are put forward by the characters.