AgniSuta Draupadi - The Riveting Story of Agni’s Daughter

AgniSuta Draupadi brings to life the story of Draupadi, one of the central characters of the epic Mahabharata. The play begins by building the circumstances under which Draupadi is born. She comes into existence along with her brother, Drishtadyumna, as King Drupada performs a yagna to take revenge from Guru Dronacharya. The play explores the life of Draupadi as she battles herself trying to find her identity and purpose.

Born to take pratishodh or revenge,  we witness Draupadi in a tug of war as she wonders if she will ever be able to avenge her father and at the same time yearns to live a life free of this burden. We see her desires— to learn the art of warfare and politics, to step out of her suffocating palace, to be able to choose her partner, and to marry Karna.We also witness many of these desires to become her own person being crushed, such as when she is arranged to marry Arjuna as part of the struggle to exact revenge on Dronacharya.

The narrative unfolds in two parts, offering Draupadi's perspective before and during the war. As the director, Maisnam Joy Metei says this interpretation is not a retelling of the Mahabharata but a unique exploration of Draupadi's journey. It brings to the centre stage many questions that Draupadi poses as a woman, questioning ideas of beauty, revenge, violence, and God as a friend. This is brought to effect by powerful monologues that the actor essaying Draupadi addresses directly to the audience.

This unmissable play, set to be staged at the 19th META, challenges conventional narratives and celebrates the complexity of female characters in lore. The performance is brought to life by brilliant actors who use both dialogue and silence masterfully to convey a gamut of emotions their characters experience during the course of the play.