Fine acting and strong narration saves Puneet Issar’s Mahabharata

Play: Mahabharata
Director: Puneet Issar
Cast: Meghna Malik, Siddhant Issar, Puneet Issar, Rahul Bhuchar, Harleen Kaur, Gufi Paintal, Diksha Raina, Yashodhan Rana, Karan Sharma
Duration: 3 hours
Language: Hindi
Rating: 3/5
Plot: A retelling of the Mahabharata, this play presents the epic from the perspective of its antagonist — Duryodhana, and explores his relationship with Karna. With Dharti Mata playing the sutradhar, this three-hour-long production traces the events in the Mahabharata leading up to the battle of Kurukshetra.
Review: The grandeur of the stage is the first thing you notice. Three giant LED screens, lights from every imaginable angle and larger-than-life props set the mood for something spectacular to unfold on stage. The curtains rise and we see images of a group of warriors who had just been in a battle. Writer-director Puneet Issar’s decision to have Dharti Mata narrate the play strikes a chord as the play begins with her wailing with the pain caused by the carnage left behind after the war at Kurukshetra. The chronology of events from the epic is maintained after this scene. As the journey of the Kauravas from childhood to youth is traced, the focus is strictly on Duryodhana. Meghna Malik puts up a spirited performance as she brings to life the anguish that Dharti Mata feels on seeing the destruction. Siddharth Issar, who co-wrote the play with his father, Puneet, moulded himself to the character of a young Duryodhana brilliantly. Strutting his pride all over the stage, he played the arrogant, young warrior with ease. In a huge ensemble cast that featured close to 20 actors, the stage got overcrowded at times but the actors who were under thespotlight did a good job of holding the audience’s attention. This was especially clear in the scene where Harleen Kaur’s Draupadi is disrobed in the middle of a court full of people. Harleen Kaur gets the audience to sympathise with her because of the way she is treated. Rahul Bhuchar’s Karna and Puneet Issar’s Duryodhana’s camaraderie shines through right from their first scene together. Puneet Issar who impressed with his portrayal of Duryodhana in B R Chopra’s Mahabharata continues to weave the same magic on stage too. His physical attributes add to the notoriety of his character. The crew has to be commended for smooth transition between scenes even with the multitude of actors and props present on stage. However, the lighting was pretty shoddy. The huge LED screens gave the impression of the play being mounted on a large scale, but they don’t really add any value to it visually. To make things worse, the screen at the back was flanked by two narrower screens, leaving a space in the middle, where the audience got a clear view of the hustle bustle going on behind-the-scenes, which serves as a huge distraction.
Verdict: The play promised to be a retelling of the Mahabharata from Duryodhana’s perspective and the start was strong. The justifications for Duryodhana’s anger reached the audience. However, as the play progressed, Duryodhana’s side of the story almost seemed to be drowned out and it ended up looking like the Mahabharata that most we are familiar with. The play fails on this count but it was an entertaining watch.