How important is the family in Dattani’s plays? Answer with special reference to Tara.
What I haven’t mentioned so far, and you must be wondering why, is that the play deals with disability and its consequences. At the surface level, the play seems to be about this in the beginning. The impact of the children’s disability on the family and their own lives seems to be at the heart of the play. The problems others have accepting them for what they are – fun-loving, wisecracking growing children – and hence their struggle for acceptance and the levels of frustration that this brings on seems to be part of the central action of the play.
The strain on the parents anddfie {effect this has on their marriage seems to complete the picture. That the family has gone through tough times seems obvious and they seem to be reeling under the continuing strain. However, the play has other paths to traverse. But this does remain a major concern in the play, and Roopa’s interaction with them is a thread that runs right through the play and is emblematic of how society receives them. Towards the end of the play, the last time we see Roopa, she is shown taunting them, calling them freaks and holding up a poster saying “We don’t want freaks.” We have a special ability to make various people unwanted, be it in terms of their religion or case or community or different abilities.
