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A question of answers
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Theatre Salim Ghouse and Anita unveil the untold story of Yudhistra and Draupadi
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Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
Artist in performance Salim Ghouse
On Saturday evening, Salim Ghouse and Anita presented Yudhistra and Draupadi to the Hyderabad audience for the first time. The leaflet circulated prior to the show gave the audience a bird’s eye view of the presentation ̵
1; the confrontation between the Yaksha and Yudhistra, the use of masks, black and white costumes that highlight the yin and yang and the ritual of ‘Iaido’ or the use of the sword and so forth. “Will it be an ‘arty’ play?” we overheard a few members wonder.
Doubts were laid to rest within a few minutes after Salim took stage. The 80-minute long presentation (without a break) had people watch and listen in rapt attention. Salim looked at ease, shifting between his roles of the Yaksha, Yudhistra and the sutradhar. As a sutradhar, he doesn’t stick to the script, is spontaneous, chatty and witty, punctuating the narrative while interacting with the audience. He urges the viewer to lend an ear to music interludes (from Pyaasa, Begum Akhtar, Begum Abida Parveen, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan), zestfully chides them for turning up a few minutes late for the play and packs in a few gags: “Sufi is not about letting your hair loose and getting into a trance.”
The presentation, written by Pavan K. Varma and adapted by Ghouse, opens when Yudhistra is left to face the Yaksha after his brothers Bhim, Arjun, Nakul and Sahdev lie dead having tasted the forbidden waters. The narrative moves back and forth, highlight the plight of Draupadi, her predicament at having been married to Arjun and later to ‘be shared by the brothers’ at the behest of Kunti. Anita, as Draupadi, raises questions about Draupadi’s lack of freedom to choose her husband and being pawned during the game of dice.
Yudhistra comes to the fore as the sutradhar reminds you of his tight spot – having to be the disciplined, trustworthy eldest son. Yudhistra fields the volley of questions from Yaksha, skilfully using the sword (Iaido – the spiritual art of the sword to transcend the ego). The Yaksha Prasna holds your attention, at the end of which the play unfolds to reveal the untold love story of Yudhistra and Draupadi.
Salim, dressed in black, and Anita, clad in white, draw you into the presentation. An enjoyable presentation, save for the hiccups from the crew coordinating the lights. Salim urging the crew to switch on and switch off the backlight during the narrative was jarring in the otherwise engaging play.
S.D.D
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