What: Mahabharata Retold, a two-day theatre festival partnered by t2, presented by Master Minds Theatre and Weavers Studio 
Where: GD Birla Sabhagar
When: Draupadi, September 17, 7pm onwards; Chakravyuh, September 18, 7pm onwards
Tickets: Priced at Rs 500, Rs 800, Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500, Rs 2,000 and 
Rs 2,500; available on www.bookmyshow.com and at the venue (10am to 6pm). Call 09830044455 for details 
Organiser speak: “To revisit one of our most respected and engaging epics is a challenge, especially as stage presentations. In the Mahabharata Retold weekend, we will witness that political drama which is more relevant today than ever before,” said Darshan Shah of Weavers Studio.

DRAUPADI
The players: Himani Shivpuri, Rakesh Bedi and others 
The plot: The Hindi play revolves around a night in a village in Haryana, when all the male members went for a wedding ceremony, leaving the women at home. The two oldest women, Kartaro and Imarti, gather all the girls and start enacting scenes from a play called Draupadi, which they used to stage around 15 years back when it was banned by the patriarch of the family for allegedly “spoiling the minds of the women”. Different facets of their lives — past and present — come to the fore, which seem not much different from the life and times of Draupadi. What happens next when the male members return is best kept a secret till you catch the play on Saturday!
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes including a 10-minute break
Director speak: “Ancient Indian texts tell us that every human being consists of purush (male) and prakriti (female). It is the prakriti in me that made me write Draupadi, a tale of women, by women and through women,” said Atul Satya Kaushik.

CHAKRAVYUH
Key player: Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna (yes, the Krishna of the popular ’80s TV serial Mahabharat!)
The plot: It is the story of the 13th day of the great battle of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata. Chakravyuh explores the killing of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, after he entered the chakravyuh (a defence formation) of warriors in the battle, and also the philosophy of chakravyuh in human life. Aren’t we all playing Abhimanyu in one form or the other, trying to survive against all odds? In the garb of a mythological tale, the play triggers debates on issues ranging from the plight of single mothers to the glory of martyrdom. Written and performed in verse form (in Hindi), Chakravyuh marks the comeback of Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna, this time on stage.  
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes without interval
Director speak: “Chakravyuh is a period drama that shows that our ultimate karma is to keep fighting the chakravyuh of life,” said Atul Satya Kaushik.