If Ram can send a tweet from the forest, what would he say? If Ravana can talk a TED, what will be its title? On July 11, a week before the premiere of ‘Ramayana’ at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, 30-year-old Finance shot his artists for a social media promo, Karan Johar-style’s rapid-fire questions.It was not an ordinary platform production – the Hindu epic was never done in Pakistan before. Except for the director, the artists were completely Muslims, and the play used AI to raise the story. Despite the recent Indo-Pak tension, it sold around 1,000 tickets and produced buzz on both sides of the border.Karera says, “We were not expecting such a response,” says Karera, surprised by congratulatory messages for the mauz collective, the theater group he co-established a year ago. He says that the close war between the two countries did not affect the play. “There was no reservation about staging sponsors and places,” says Rana Kazmi, co-founder of Mauge Collective with a day-long job in human resources. Only the media has asked us these questions. In fact, it does not even overcome our mind that it can be seen as sensitive or controversial. “‘This is the story of universal values, to tell our story’People of all backgrounds came regardless of their religion. Family with children, students, elderly, everyone. A friend told me how a parents explained each scene to their child, ”Kazmi, who played the role of Sita. Commion Ghazi brings fierce intensity to Ravana’s role. Karachi, who went to Karachi in his teenage, Karachi, who calls his attraction for the great story of good victory over evil. “I was five years old when I first saw Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana on Doordarshan. The story caught me from the beginning, ”says Karera, who decided to carry forward the theater in the middle of his finance and accounting degrees. After receiving the Diploma in the National Academy of Performing Arts in Pakistan, Karera and two friends, Kazmi and Sana Toha founded the collective. The year theater troupe uses the tech-service stagecraft, social media flair and script that talks to a younger generation. Although some people have interpreted Mauj’s ‘Ramayana’ as a statement on religious unity, the group said that their goal was not about sending a message. “None of us ever felt that we are telling a story outside the world that we live. I have grown up with this story of Ramayana. I cannot be religiously of the community, but it is a story of our subcontinent. It never felt that the story was not to tell us. It is universal to values.” Some Sanskrit and Hindi words were adapted in more familiar words for Karachi audience. For example, ‘Prakrit’ became ‘Kudrat’. Sometimes, this causes confusion. “In one scene, Hanuman is going to give me a ring. Now, I know that the word ‘Angusthi’ means ‘ring’, and that is this. But one day during the rehearsal, Jibran Khan (who plays Hanuman) says, “AAP Mundrika Ko dekin is”. I just stood there, ‘Where am I going to see? What is Mundrika? “Laughing Kazmi.
