Pune to Host Grand Dance Drama Blending Eight Classical Forms in Mahabharata

Pune is set to witness a unique celebration of India’s classical dance heritage with “Ashta Bhava, Ashta Nritya – Mahabharata”, a dance drama bringing together eight classical dance forms to portray the emotional and dramatic world of the Mahabharata.

The production will be staged on Saturday from 5.30 pm to 8 pm at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir. It is being jointly presented by the Pune Art and Culture Foundation and the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Cultural Centre Department.

Conceptualised by Gayatri Mishra and coordinated by Sattriya exponent Dr Devika Borthakur, the production will feature Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Sattriya. Through distinct movement vocabularies, rhythms, music and expressions, the dance traditions will bring several important episodes of the epic to life.

The presentation will explore episodes including Draupadi Cheer Haran, Vishwaroopa Darshan and Abhimanyu, alongside stories such as Lakshagriha, Bhima and Hidimba, and the complex life of Karna.

The organisers said the production seeks to present the Mahabharata not simply as a mythological or historical narrative, but as a vast emotional landscape shaped by conflict, relationships, courage, humiliation, devotion and tragedy.

Gurus and performers including Dr Vasanth Kiran Rayasam, Dr Devika Borthakur, Arundhati Patwardhan, Leena Ketkar, Jyoti Das, Renjish Nair, Gayatri Ambekar, Rasika Ghumaste and Manjula Nambiar will present choreographic compositions based on different episodes of the epic.

The organisers said bringing the eight traditions together on one stage will offer audiences an opportunity to experience the diversity of India’s classical dance heritage while revisiting some of the Mahabharata’s most powerful characters and moments.

The programme has been co-sponsored by Pimpri Chinchwad University, Sarhad Pune and PMC corporator Nivrutti Bandal.