A musical mythological play Matsyagandha staged to mark the three-day theatre festival in the memory of a noted Hindi writer Bhishm Sahani concluded here on Thursday at Antrang Auditorium, Bharat Bhavan.
The play was presented by Karvaan theatre group. The musical mythological play focused on the era of Mahabharata that tells the story of Satyavati and her life.
Directed by Mohammad Nazeer Qureshi, the play is an adaptation in Hindi written by an eminent Marathi writer Vasant Shankar Kanetkar.
The play begins introducing the pretty girl ‘Satyavati’ who is a daughter of a fisherman. One day when Satyavati was sitting on the banks of Ganga, she came across a young and handsome man Parashar unaware of the fact that he is a saint. Both of them were captivated to each other and start their love trip.
Meanwhile, father of Satyavati reveals the truth before her and tells her that she is not his daughter but, she is his ‘Dharamputri’ and wants her to marry a dharamputra only. Satyavati denies her father’s condition and she bears the child of Parashar. Parshar leaves her and her child and began his trip to Himalaya. After Parashar leaves Satyavati, King Shantanu was captivated towards her and keeps a marriage proposal before her. She agrees over a condition that his child would succeed the throne as the future king. But, Shantanu does not accept her condition. On hearing this, Shantanu’s son Devrat gives up his right and convinces Satyavati to marry his father. He swears to remain unmarried all his life and then he was known as ‘Bheeshma’.
While talking to ‘The Pioneer’, director of the play Mohammad Nazeer Qureshi said, “The background of the play is situated in the era of Mahabharata. It actually tells the story of Devrat turning to Bhishma. It also focuses on the trials and tribulations a young woman Satyavati goes through and how she overcomes her difficulties.” He further said that Matsyagandha is another name of Satyavati which means smell of fish. “Many people might be aware of this story but, it is written in such a way that highlights the tribulations of Satyavati’s life,” says Nazeer.
Experiencing the Mahabharata era on stage the audiences enjoyed the play whole-heartedly. The lighting and stage put a great effect over the presentation leaving the audiences mesmerized.