‘Playing with Life’: Theatreperson Prasanna Heggodu to exhibit pencil drawings at Chitrakala Parishath

Renowned stage director Prasanna Heggodu is set to reveal a new facet of his artistic self through his first-ever pencil drawing exhibition titled “Natakavu Badukinolago, Baduku Natakadolago – Playing with Life.”

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Rabindra Tripathi, noted Delhi-based art critic, at Gallery No. 4, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, in Bengaluru on October 30. The show is open to public between 10.:30 a.m. and 7.:30 p.m. till November 2, 2025

The event will be presided over by Pa.Sa. Kumar, President of the Karnataka Lalitha Kala Akademi. Distinguished guests include author and businessman Arun Raman and Head of Program Department at Chandana Doordarshan Aarti H.N., and the artist himself.

Known primarily as a stage director and theatre reformer, Prasanna will bring his profound understanding of human expression to his visual art. The showcase will feature a curated selection of pencil sketches of thousands of characters and their gestures that Mr. Prasanna has seen during the five decades of his theater journey.

The limited-edition artworks will be available for sale, with all proceeds to be donated to the Indian Institute for Educational Theatre (IIET) in Mysuru. Buyers will receive 80-G certification for their contributions.

Reflecting on his creative journey, Prasanna said, “Essentially I am trained to reconstruct gestures and postures, all taken from life, on to the body of an actor. That’s how one plays in theatre. How does one do so in the visual arts? Well, theatre or paper, music or literature, it is all the same, a matter of skill. The images that I have created have originated from the drama itself. I am inspired by the characters that I always stare at.”