Because they found their way into textbooks, but because generations kept telling them, there are stories in Indian history that have survived not. Theatre, film, and television actor, director, Preeta Mathur Thakur’s play attempts to bring one such story out of the shadows; that of Abbakka of Ullala, the 16th-century coastal Karnataka queen who resisted Portuguese expansion and refused to surrender control of her kingdom and its maritime trade.
Written-directed by Preeta, with dialogues by Richa Sharad, the two-hour play is an ambitious undertaking, bringing together a large ensemble, elaborate sets, music, and movement. What makes Veera Rani Abbakka Chowtha’s story particularly fascinating is that her resistance was not simply about winning a war, but about the fact that as a queen, she understood the larger danger behind the Portuguese presence on the coast. She saw through that what began as trade and promises of protection, could eventually become political control. And so, to protect Ullala’s sovereignty, she built a strong naval force, forged alliances, to challenge the Portuguese monopoly over the spice trade.
