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@article{196161,
        author = {D. Paul Dinesh and Dr. C. Anita},
        title = {Deconstructing The 'Traditional' Vs. The 'New': Gender Archetypes in Manjula Padmanabhan’s Lights Out},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {no},
        pages = {108-111},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=196161},
        abstract = {Manjula Padmanabhan’s Lights Out (1986) serves as a harrowing critique of urban Indian middle-class complicity in the face of gendered violence. Based on a true incident in Mumbai, the play juxtaposes the domestic "safety" of an apartment against the brutal reality of a gang rape occurring just outside the window. 
This paper deconstructs the tension between "traditional" and "new" gender archetypes as represented by the protagonists, Leela and Bhasker. By analyzing the linguistic and behavioral patterns of the characters, the study argues that while the male characters adopt a "new," pseudo-intellectualized veneer of rationality to mask their cowardice, the female experience remains trapped between the traditional role of the "protected" and the modern reality of the "witness." The paper concludes that Padmanabhan exposes the "New Indian Man" as a mere evolution of patriarchal dominance, rebranded through urban apathy.},
        keywords = {Manjula Padmanabhan, Lights Out, Gender Archetypes, Indian Drama, Patriarchal Complicity, Urban Apathy.},
        month = {March},
        }