Caution is central to a woman’s experience of life. It is prescribed, imbibed and practiced with rigor, so that women can be ‘safe’. Be Careful is a satirical piece that challenges this notion of safety. Rooted in a widespread anger about the everyday violence against women, the performance confronts the unfortunate conflation between the manner in which women dress and the atrocities committed against them.
Stripping down a culture hiding behind its ignorant, prudish mores, Mallika Taneja exposes the contradictions of India’s stagnated social progress. Although rooted in India, Be Careful resonates with people all over the world.
Taneja returns to the show, in a world where the words ‘be careful’ and being safe have taken on newer and seemingly more urgent meanings. The piece, however, does not forget the history that now seems to have been buried under the weight of the newest virus.
Taneja is a New Delhi based performing artist who has created performances such as Rest of the Struggle and Women Walk at Midnight. During Oslo Internasjonale Teaterfestival 2021, she presented the interactive online performance Allegedly, which was played simultaneously in several countries, including India and Nepal.