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Following its critically acclaimed runs at the Shaw Festival and London’s prestigious Barbican Theatre, Mahabharata arrives at NAC English Theatre as a once-in-a-generation experience of unparalleled ambition and scale. 

Listen to Sharada K Eswar doing a reading of the Mahabharata title (pronounced “Ma-ha-BAR-ah-tha”).

Mahabharata is a contemporary adaptation of the four-thousand-year-old Sanskrit epic, a foundational text of South Asian culture. Written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes, with poetic contributions from Carole Satyamurti’s Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling, this gripping saga delves into the rivalry between the Pandava and Kaurava clans and the devastating war that ensues. Mahabharata is a profound exploration of enduring philosophical and spiritual ideas set against an entrenched conflict that remains tragically relevant today. 

Presented in two parts, Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata features a stellar all-South Asian diaspora cast. Seamlessly merging East and West, the traditional and the contemporary, the visually stunning storytelling ranges from the most ancient of forms, with listeners gathered around a fire, to spectacular technologically-driven spectacle. This breathtaking journey guides audiences through the distant past to create an exhilarating new future.

Part Two: Dharma 

The Life We Choose 

Mahabharata: Dharma (Part 2) introduces us to a dizzying array of storytelling techniques including immersive projections, dynamic digital soundscapes, and sweeping scenic design, as King Janamejaya learns of the epic war fought by his ancestors. Alongside the King, we experience the legendary battle of Kurukshetra, its catastrophic impact on the planet, and the resilient survivors entrusted with the task of rebuilding. The retelling is crowned with a soaring adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita, the most renowned chapter of the Mahabharata saga, as a Sanskrit opera.