Gulzar gets poetic with Mahabharat Director Salim Arif and the eminent writer have come together once again, this time for a play on Yudhishtir and Draupadi

Gulzar gets poetic with Mahabharat

Director Salim Arif and the eminent writer have come together once again, this time for a play on Yudhishtir and Draupadi

The easy camaraderie between writer-lyricist Gulzar and theatre director Salim Arif is evident in the way the two discuss a last-minute scene to be added to their latest play Yudhisthir and Draupadi. Gulzar has written the lines and asks Salim for his opinion. “The lines are fine but I want to change a word here and there,” says Salim. In a world ruled by egos, it is heartening to see the respect and admiration the two have for each other. Gulzar and Salim go a long way and have staged many plays together — Gulzar as the writer and Salim as the director — with Kharaashein, Athaniya, Lakeerein and an adaptation of O Henry’s piece to name a few. The latest is Yudhisthir and Draupadi which will be staged at Prithvi Theatre this Sunday. Based on Pavan K Verma’s book, the play is a translation and dramatisation by Gulzar in verse. It takes a look at the unusual relationship between two key characters of the Mahabharat — Yudhisthir and Draupadi. The backdrop of the play is the famous encounter between the Pandavas and the Yaksha at the poisoned pool that occurred during the exile of Pandavas. When they are thirsting for water, the guardian (Yaksha) bars them from drinking it till they answer his questions. “Within that incident, Pavan saw a novelty. Four of the brothers die as they are unable to answer and only Yudhisthir and Draupadi are left. This is the first time they are alone together and the play deals with their relationship,” explains Gulzar. The play, says Salim, is a modern vision of the incident. “Focus is on the man-woman relationship, which gives it a contemporary feel. Their emotions, their thoughts and how Yudhisthir raises above his personal gains and how Draupadi finally accepts him as someone at par with Arjun, is the culmination of the play.” Once Gulzar handed over the play, Salim turned it into a musical. “Instead of reciting it, you can sing it, because it is in meter, which is the surprise element,” says Gulzar.