New play Kaumudi is a reimagination of the Mahabharata

When director Abhishek Majumdar started to pen Kaumudi, he was looking to rope an actor who is not just a great actor, but can also play an actor. The story is a reimagination of the Mahabharata, and revolves around a thespian, Satyasheel, who is in the twilight of his career. He's inching towards performing his last show but is also going blind. Satyasheel is a man who has made a career out of playing Eklavya, the iconic student of Dronacharya from the Mahabharata. The narrative weaves in a play within a play, where the events lead to Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son putting forth certain questions before Eklavya's ghost.

"It's the questions that are captivating," explains Majumdar. "There are three questions in all - first, whose life is more valuable, that of a younger person or older person? Second, which promise has greater value, the social or the personal, and lastly, does art define the person or the other way round. The Mahabharata also prods you to ponder on these philosophical questions. That is what this play is about."

While writing the character of Satyasheel, Majumdar had Kumud Mishra in mind. He was only too glad when his vision translated on stage. "It's hard for an actor to play an actor. Kumud is also performing what Satyasheel performs. And if that doesn't work for the audience within the play, the premise is lost. It's all about balancing the on-stage and off-stage persona," says the director.

When: 5 pm and 9 pm, March 31
Where: Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Tara Road
Entry: Rs 400
Log on to: bookmyshow.com

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