Love story ‘Sohni Mahiwal’ to play out at Dubai’s The Junction
A scene from the play ‘Sohni Mahiwal’.
There are some narratives that stay with you – a story of an underdog, the tale of an impossible love, tragic accounts of broken hearts and talk of sweeping gestures. And so it is with the heartstring-strumming tale of Sohni Mahiwal, named after two ill-fated lovers who lived on opposite banks of a river. A Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu play based on this epic love story is coming to The Junction this weekend, and it promises an emotional evening.
The story, set in Punjab, is a collaboration between the international production house Behind the Mask Productions, UAE-based production house Tall Tales Production and UAE’s homegrown theatre space The Junction.
Director Alishan Bin Sohail, who has over 15 years of theatre experience, explains that the story itself is sure to resonate with the audience even years after its first telling. “The most beautiful of love stories are sadly those that are left incomplete. Romeo-Juliet, Heer-Ranjha, and Sohni-Mahiwal are some such examples that have resonated by one generation after another. The speciality of this story is that it deals with elements like longing, passion, desire and rebellion - all of which even exist today when it comes to love. The feeling of crossing mountains and oceans to see a glimpse of your lover, is something most of us are willing to do today as well,” he says.
While the story is based on an epic, however, this iteration comes with a contemporary mask. “The story is based on the recent flooding that happened in South Asia a few years ago. While the story and dialogues have been kept as close to the original as possible, the characters are people like you and I which everyone can relate to. Also, some of the storytelling elements have inserts from modern-day technology, terminologies, and current events,” adds Sohail.
Music and dance
Besides this, to engage its audience, key elements of theatricality have been added to the mix. “There are music and dance performances in the play. Even as the audiences will come into the theatre, there will be dancers greeting them to welcome them to the world of Sohni Mahiwal. There are three original songs and two numbers that have been graciously lent to the production by Coke Studio. The music is an integral part of the production with it being the heartbeat of the production.”
This addition of the music and seamlessly blending it into the narrative was the most challenging part of the production, says lead actor and co-playwright Yusra Irfan. “The music is an integral part of the story and is actually the heart of the story. To merge the multiple mediums together in a seamless transition was the most exciting yet difficult part,” she explains.
Want to watch the epic that will pull at your heart’s cords but worried you won’t follow the language? Don’t worry. “The play is primarily in Punjabi and Urdu/Hindi. However, to make sure the multi-cultural and multi-national people of UAE can enjoy it, we have surtitles in English,” says Sohail.
Playing out just ahead of the Independence Day celebrations of both India and Pakistan, this production - which takes you on a journey of love and sacrifice – will be followed by interactive sessions between the cast and crew and audiences post show.
Some stories stay with you – like Romeo and Juliet, like Sohni and Mahiwal. Be prepared for those watery eyes.
The details:
Sohni Mahiwal is playing at The Junction Theatre in Al-Serkal Avenue on Saturday (August 12) and Sunday (August 13) at 7.30pm. Tickets are available on Platinumlist.net