We entered the premises of Akshara Theatre, Connaught Place, on Saturday afternoon to watch Saitan Theatre’s Not So Mahabharat, and the first few people to greet us were the play’s actors. A member of the cast wearing a red-brown bathrobe and sunglasses—he was also carrying a prop large-frame revolver—walked past us accompanied by another actor in a part black-part white dhoti and shirt. Another woman in a glittery sari and sharp make-up extended her salutations.
“Namaskar mohtarma”, she exclaimed with a hand gesture, while in a corner we noticed a young man performing archery tricks. We were surprised—these are scenes one does not usually come across while waiting for a drama to commence. In the next 90 minutes following this bizarre introduction, Not So Mahabharat only got chaotic. But it is the chaos in this unconventional adaptation of Mahabharata—a Sanskrit epic—that eventually strikes a chord with the audience.
Exploring themes of oppression
Directed by Rajneesh Gautam (31) and Swati (25), this play is centred on a group of actors who get together for a theatrical performance of the Mahabharata, but according to their own idea—they deviate from the plot in the original epic. But there is more—if this group does not stick to the original theme, their land would be seized by the authorities.
This play’s premise will take the audience back to Naseeruddin Shah and Satish Kaushik’s celebrated and hilarious ‘Mahabharata’ scene in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983). However, the director duo adds another layer of meaning to this format by introducing the concept of the oppressor and the oppressed. “In our lives, we have two people—the oppressor and the oppressed. And this exists everywhere. So, while in the play the actors are being oppressed by the Pradhan Vani [the higher authorities], these characters are also oppressing each other at some point,” explains Rajneesh.
Pause and reflect
Not So Mahabharata is based on German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht’s distancing effect—commonly known as the epic theatre. “As per this effect, there should be no immersion in the performance. We want to remind the audience that they are watching a play and they need to focus on what is being said and not how it is being put forth,” explains Rajneesh.
One would not expect a bunch of characters about to perform a rendition of a serious epic like the Mahabharata to break into a dance right at the beginning of the play, see them give stage directions out loud, or watch the backstage team clear props amid a scene—but all of this happens, neglecting the neatness that we usually expect in a play. Not So Mahabharata sticks to Brechtian techniques to create a spectacle that is satirical, ironic and deliberately exaggerated. The detailed character work of this huge cast—Draupadi is a feminist who keeps interjecting every time a sexist comment is made, the two Shakunis are hilariously evil, Karna keeps forgetting things, and Eklavya is the voice of reason—and their quirks manage to make the auditorium come alive with laughter and cheers throughout the performance. In fact, the detours from the narrative only add to the fun.
Brecht is known to have devised the technique in response to the political climate prevalent during the mid-20th Century. The comedy and the irrationality usually act as a cover for larger themes. Similarly, amid all the chaos and drama in this play, the team smartly puts across a commentary on casteism, women's oppression, censorship, and more. A hopeful Kunti—here she stands in place of Krishna who has apparently quit the troupe—asks an intoxicated Yudhishthira to look into thin air and explain what he sees. “I see a placard that says ours is a secular country.” Just after a minute of introspection (and silence), the entire cast is seen dancing on the title track of Koi Mil Gaya, completely breaking away from the seriousness of the previous moment. Why? “Dream sequence that sir.”
CHECK IT OUT
What: ‘Not So Mahabharat’
When: Aug 28; 3:00pm and 6:30pm
Where: Akshara Theatre, Connaught Place