A poignant play on karma, dharma & life’s chakravyuh

For many, even now the mention of Lord Krishna conjures up the image of veteran actor Nitish Bharadwaj, who played the iconic role in BR Chopra’s television show Mahabharat in 1988. Reprising his role as Krishna in the popular play Chakravyuh, the actor performed in a packed auditorium recently. Written and performed in the form of verses, the play staged at Kamani Auditorium explored the concepts of karma and dharma. “This is the 93rd edition of this play. We have been performing it across different cities in India since the pre-pandemic era. Finally, we gathered the courage to regather the whole cast and return to the capital. The show was totally sold out. People are keen on watching good content,” says Atul Satya Koushik, writer and director of the play.

‘The energy of the artistes has gone up in the post-COVID era’

The play revolves around the thirteenth day of the Kurukshetra War and depicts the killing of Abhimanyu after being caught in the chakravyuh. “This play does not focus on just the warcraft but tries to explore the philosophy behind it,” adds Koushik. Elaborating on how theatre has shaped up in the post-pandemic phase, he added, “The energy of the artistes has gone up as they have been hungry to return to the stage, post pandemic.”