Kochi: National Award-winning actor and writer Kalki Koechlin’s play 'Belly of the Beast', which explores the lesser-discussed aspects of motherhood, will make its Kerala debut at the Manorama Hortus Art and Cultural Festival in Kochi.

The four-day festival will be held at Subhash Park from December 3 to 6. The play is scheduled for December 4 at 6 pm at the Fine Arts Society Hall in Kochi.

Inspired by Koechlin’s non-fiction graphic book 'The Elephant in the Womb', the two-hour production is co-written by Koechlin and Sheena Khalid, who also directs the play. It follows five women through different stages of motherhood, including pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period and raising children.
The cast features Aarti Aney, Avantika Ganguly, Ketan Singh and Meghana AT in key roles.

Tickets for the performance are priced at ₹350. Hortus Premium Pass holders can book premium seats worth ₹500 free of charge for one of five selected entertainment programmes at the festival, including the play.