The Mahabharata exists in a world where right and wrong constantly shift. No character is fully good or entirely bad. Instead, each person acts from their own beliefs, experiences, and wounds. This moral ambiguity and layered humanity is what keeps the epic alive even today. “In the Mahabharata, no one is just one thing. No character is completely right or completely wrong. Everyone has a reason behind what they do,” says Eugien Jos Chirammel, who is all set to stage Duryodhana Parvam (by Canopy Threatre), born from this space of complexity. It invites the audience to look again at a man usually portrayed as the epic’s villain.
The play reframes the story through Duryodhana’s eyes. Vicky, who plays Duryodhana, explains that he first approached the role lightly, but the more he researched, the more he grasped its depth. “When I started understanding the character, I realised Duryodhana is not just angry or proud. He has pain, he has suffering, and he hides it so no one thinks he is weak.” He adds, “All of us have felt underestimated at some point. All of us have wanted to prove ourselves. That helped me connect with him.”
Eugien shares that the play’s idea began with a small experimental piece about the five mythological moments connected to Duryodhana’s thighs. “I worked on a physical theatre scene based only on those curses and blessings. Later I thought — if this one idea has so much possibility, why not explore Duryodhana’s entire life through such movement and imagery?” This seed grew into the larger production.
Duryodhana Parvam unfolds across 30 striking “moving images” from Duryodhana’s birth to his death. The director explains, “We tried to compress the whole Mahabharata into 30 images seen through Duryodhana’s eyes. Each one is like a memory or a snapshot. Instead of showing the story in a usual way, we created it through dance, martial arts, song, and physical theatre. ”Training was intense — 47 days of Sanskrit, movement, rhythm, and teamwork. The staging remains minimal to keep the focus on the performers. “The actors themselves become the set,” Eugien elaborates. “Walls, palaces, everything is created through their bodies.”
The team hopes the audience takes away something simple yet powerful. “We want people to feel that there was a man behind the name Duryodhana. He had his own point of view, and his own struggles,” they say.
Tickets at Rs 350.
December 13 & 14, 7 pm.
At Rangbhoomi Spaces & Events, Serilingampalle.
Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com
X: @indulgexpress
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