International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology © 2021, www.IJARIIT.com All Rights Reserved Page |1649 ISSN: 2454-132X Impact Factor: 6.078 (Volume 7, Issue 4 - V7I4-1877) Available online at: https://www.ijariit.com Investigating Mahesh Dattani’s ‘On a Muggy Night in Mumbai’, through the Lens of R. Raj Rao: A Queer Study Suchitra Harnahalli suchitrapoems@gmail.com SVKM's Mithibai College (Autonomous), Mumbai, Maharashtra Shripad Samant shripad.samant@mithibai.ac.in SVKM's Mithibai College (Autonomous), Mumbai, Maharashtra ABSTRACT This paper explores the interaction of Mahesh Dattani’s, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai with R. Raj Rao’s Criminal Love? Queer Theory, Culture and Politics in India under Queer Theory. Queer Theory studies homosexuality, incorporation of gender and sexuality in texts, along with the history of queer writing. Mahesh Dattani’s play is the first play in Indian Theatre to have openly gay themes on stage. Since much of queer writing comes from the West, in order to facilitate a holistic understanding of the play in the context of the Indian subcontinent, this study is done from the lens of R. Raj Rao, who is himself a queer theorist from India. This paper focuses on the impact of homosociality, heteronormativity and homophobia in the play and on the lives of gay people at large. Keywords: Homosexual, Gay, Heteronormative, Homosociality, Homophobia. 1. INTRODUCTION On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, is a play in three acts by Mahesh Dattani, first performed at the Tata Theatre, Mumbai in 1998. Dattani’s play is cited to be the pioneer of delving in openly gay themes in Indian Theatre. At the time the play was performed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was not decriminalized. This section of the IPC criminalized all forms of sexual activity which were not heterosexual or procreative. His play depicts the consequences of homophobia on the lives of homosexuals who have been living in the narrative framework of a heteronormative society. Dattani’s play invites conversations on the accounts of queer lives who have been ignored for long like Sharad in the play, until Kamlesh reconciles with him. The play holds at its heart the quintessential tenets of Queer Theory. However, much of Queer Theory comes from the West, from writers like Michel Foucault, Eve Sedgwick and Jonathan Dollimore. Their observations and criticisms stem largely from the literary discourses and socio-political culture of their immediate society. That is not to say that it takes away their credibility or relevance, but in order to study On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, a play based in India it is fundamental to incorporate a queer theorist who has understood these texts and interpreted them in the Indian context. R. Raj Rao is one such novelist, poet, playwright, and openly gay theorist who assimilates not only sexuality but also gender, class and caste in his writing. His book Criminal Love? Queer Theory, Culture and Politics in India, is a union of understanding queer writings in India, investigating the theorists from the West, their relevance in Indian vocabulary and the politics of being queer in the Indian sub-continent. This paper aims to undertake a study of Mahesh Dattani’s On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, through the vehicle of Queer Theory as seen in R. Raj Rao’s book. In order to facilitate an extensive study, this paper has been divided into two major sections of dealing with homosexuality in Indian Theatre and the consequences of homophobia on Indian gay lives as seen in the play. 2. DEALING WITH HOMOSEXUALITY IN INDIAN THEATRE Mahesh Dattani through his craft has always been outspoken about what he calls the ‘invisible issues’ of Indian Society (Mee 320). On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, is a testament to his deft handling of taboo discourses in India through the medium of theatre. One of its kind, the play does not shy away from depicting gay lives in India. While the tale maybe a product of Dattani’s compelling imagination, he has illustrated their story in a heteronormative world with characters who are essentially anti-heterosexual. This section is divided into two sub-sections, pioneering of homosexuality in Indian theatre and the effects of homosociality as a barrier in representing gay lives, to investigate the play’s effects on stage. 2.1. Pioneering Depiction of Homosexuality