| Written & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui Produced by Anusha Rizvi Dastango - Mahmood Farooqui |
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Dastan-e-Karn Az Mahabharat is written and performed by Mahmood Farooqui. The last question Karna asked as he lay dying in Krishna's lap was whether he would be as famous as Arjuna and Krishna replied that your fame will last longer than Arjuna. This Dastangoi presentation on the great Karna draws on the original Sanskrit Mahabharata and Persian, Urdu, Hindi and Marathi writings on the life and times of one of the greatest warriors ever produced by Hindustan Jannat Nishan. Farooqui brought forth several episodes from Karna's life — his identity crisis, generous nature, warrior skills and the much-discussed dilemma when his birth-mother Kunti asks him to stand by his brothers, the Pandavas but his heart wants him to stand by his friend Duryodhana. Dressed in a white chikankari angarkha, Farooqui brought out Karna's angst through his words and vigorous hand-movements. |
Several people have attempted to engage with Karna's life and his dilemma. His personal duty asks him to beholden to Duryodhan and public duty demands that he deny Duryodhan's friendship. Karna is also disadvantaged because of his origins and considered a low caste person, a relevant in our society. The story also offers a parallel between the conflict of the Pandavas and Kauravas, and the Hindu-Muslim conflict, which can also be called a conflict between brothers," said Farooqui, who calls himself a devotee of Karna since childhood. "I have read several texts besides the Sanskrit and Hindi translations of Mahabharata; like Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's Rashmirathi, a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Pakistan's Khalifa Abdul Hakim; a 200-year-old Urdu verse translation of the Mahabharata by poet Tota Ram Shayan; a Persian translation Razmnama, which was commissioned by Emperor Akbar, and a series of essays by Irawati Karve titled Yuganta: The End Of An Epoch," added Farooqui, who has mixed his storytelling skills with his understanding of languages and history. He has also drawn many parallels between the Bhagavad Gita and the Quran. |
