In Ank productions' new play, Prashna Panchali, Draupadi is anguished as she grapples with questions other Mahabharata characters throw at her

In Ank productions' new play, Prashna Panchali, Draupadi is anguished as she grapples with questions other Mahabharata characters throw at her

For years now, veteran theatre person Dinesh Thakur has been toying with the idea of working on poetess Sunita Budhiraja's book Prashna Panchali.

So when it was time for his theatre group Ank Productions to work on a new play, he chose to present a poetry performance, based on the book.
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Husband and wife were convinced that the matter at hand had to be performed but deciding on the format that would do justice to the text wasn't easy. They were clear that the language was priority so they decided to avoid a crowd on stage.
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"The play begins with Kunti since she is the origin of the main characters of the Mahabharata.

Then it goes on to deal with Draupadi's relationship with Karna, Arjun and Krishna," says Preeta, who plays each of the characters.
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Since there is no costume change throughout the performance, Preeta changes her angavastra to reflect characteru00a0 changes.

Draupadi is often called Panchali, making the play's title self-explanatory. The play deals with questions that arise in Draupadi's mind.

She represents the grace of a queen, yet her anguish is very real. Both actor and director believe that audiences will identify with Draupadi's agony.
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"It's the kind of agony that everyone goes through when things go awry. That's when we start to question ourselves and the people around us," adds Preeta.

From confronting Karna, who calls her a vaishya to dealing with unrequited love in her relationship with Arjun, Draupadi turns the focus to her existential angst. Find out if you connect with the heroic princess' angst.

ON: Today and tomorrow, 9 pm at Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W). Call: 26149546 Tickets: Rs 80

Budhiraja's Book

Prashna Panchali is a collection of 22 poems by Sunita Buddhiraja. The poems portray the unsettling events in the Mahabharata that drive Draupadi to question the choices she has made.

Buddhiraja's poems recognise Draupadi's total devotion to her five husbands despite being attracted to and desired by other men.
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Prashna Panchali is Buddhiraja's third book; her previous works include a volume of poems and a non-fiction title.

Her poetry is driven by her fascination for Krishna and naturally, every character around him. It took her four-and-a-half years to write Prashna Panchali.

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