HYDERABAD: With artistes and performers facing a rough time finding platforms to share their art and craft, an expressionist dancer from Hyderabad, Patruni Chidananda Sastry, has created a website through which drag performers can showcase their work and grow.
Talking to Express, the dancer said: “This year has been tough for drag performers around the world. While the world is fighting Covid-19, there is hardly any space for drag queens to come and share their craft. Indian entertainment industry, which is dominated by movies, music, dance and theatre, has little space for Drag content. While the West has numerous platforms, there is hardly any which gives insights into the art here.
Keeping these social and economic changes in mind, I wanted to create a space exclusively for Drag — where we get news, interviews, articles, memes, quotes and knowledge on the Indian approach to Drag. That is how, DragVanti was born.” “The website serves as a channel to give information about the cultural and ethnic drag art form practices within India, and how the Indian version differs from the ones across the world,” said the dancer.
Throwing light on one such difference, Chidananda busts the myth that drag art is performed by members from the LGBTQI community only. “I think this idea is borrowed from the West. We have ancient dance forms across states in which heterosexual men dress up as women and perform,” he said. Giving a peek into the drag community in the city, the artiste said: “The drag community in Hyderabad started getting together last year.
Earlier, drag artistes from other cities would come here and perform, but the city did not have an exclusive drag club. So we started talking about it and eventually rolled out our maiden production at Nirvana Cafe in Jubilee Hills. However, there is a lot more that needs to be done to raise awareness about this community in Hyderabad.”