The story of Drona is the story of a man caught between duty and righteousness. Desiring victory over the Pandavas, and knowing Drona to be superior to all the warriors fighting for him, the Kuru prince Duryodhana anoints Drona as his commander-in-chief. The teacher slaughters two entire akshauhinis, even as he is slowly felled by his own disgust at his unethical actions. He gives up his life, and Dhrishtadyumna cuts off his head from a lifeless body.

The future is as blank as the present or the past. A curse is cursed. Even silence is silenced. This is how Bala deconstructs or reconstructs, if you prefer, the known classics in his own inimitable style. Time and again he has revisited the classics only to reset them in his/our time. Bala knows his strengths-minimalism, in his writing as well as in his productions, simple yet powerful, silent yet screaming. I have always cherished reading ‘poetry’ in his plays, watching ‘dance’ in his stage versions. Of course, he is one of the most important playwrights and directors of contemporary Indian theatre.

– Surendranath Suri, Director and playwright