Lillete Dubey’s Jaya: A Rock Musical of the Mahabharata, combines rock music with timeless themes.
Lillete Dubey describes Jaya as a modern musical take on the Mahabharata, blending rock music and Indian classical elements for an engaging retelling of the epic.
Alchemist LIVE is all set to present the highly anticipated fifth season of the Delhi Theatre Festival (DTF), promising an unforgettable experience for theatre enthusiasts. Over the course of three days—September 20th, 21st, and 22nd—audiences will be treated to original live performances featuring star-studded casts and stories that transcend time. To offer a more immersive experience, the festival will be staged across four prominent venues in Delhi NCR: the Siri Fort Auditorium, Kamani Auditorium, OP Jindal Auditorium, and Orana Convention in Gurugram.
One of the key highlights of this year’s festival is Jaya: A Rock Musical of the Mahabharata, directed by the renowned Lillete Dubey. Scheduled for September 22 at Siri Fort Auditorium, the production features a stellar lineup, including Megan Murray, 2Blue, Vikrant Chaturvedi, Asif Ali Beg, Sherrin Varghese, and Varun Narayan. The musical offers a modern retelling of the Mahabharata, blending rock music with traditional Indian elements like mantras and Kalari drums to create a unique theatrical experience.
Jaya – The Victory!
Jaya: The Victory! is an English-language rock opera that presents the major events of the Mahabharata in a visually captivating and musically rich format. Featuring a two-hour original score, live singing, and stunning choreography that combines Kaliripattu and Kathak, the production takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava. The story contrasts Yudhishthira’s moral struggles with Duryodhana’s ruthless pursuit of power and Karna’s fatalistic belief in destiny. The play’s innovative use of rock music intertwined with Indian classical instruments like Krishna’s flute adds depth to its retelling of this ancient epic.
Lillete Dubey, the director of Jaya, spoke exclusively about her experience working on this ambitious project:
A Modern Musical Take on the Mahabharata
“Primetime is interested in platforming original work from India… And I love music,” Dubey shared. “So a musical version of the Mahabharata, especially one so well written by Sandip Kanjilal and the core of the story being condensed in a contemporary way for modern audiences, was a very tempting and very challenging play to do… and I love challenges! The music by Ashutosh Phatak is brilliant too. It was written as a musical… Soni produced and directed it as one and added Kaliri for all the physical movements and war sequences plus mantras etc. to keep the Indian essence.”
Bringing the Mahabharata to Life for Younger Audiences
Dubey highlighted the challenges of bringing such a monumental epic to life through a rock musical format, noting that the condensed format still manages to capture the depth and complexity of the story: “That’s one of the best things about Jaya… The script is written in such a brilliant way that it tells us the kernel of the story in all its dimensions—philosophical, dramatic, spiritual, emotional—in just two hours. Audiences have been moved and blown away by how it tells you the key elements in just two hours and by the extraordinary singing, in English! Younger audiences love it and its stunning visuals.”
Merging Myth and Modernity
Dubey clarified that Jaya is not a character in the play, but a symbolic reference to victory, the original name of the Mahabharata. She explained the importance of blending mythological and modern elements to make the story relevant to contemporary audiences: “It’s exciting and challenging to combine myth and modernity… the epic and eternal with its relevance to the here and now. For example, man’s greed for land and power is reflected even today in Ukraine-Russia/Israel-Palestine.”
The Power of Music in Storytelling
Speaking on the impact of the rock style in Jaya, Dubey emphasized how the musical format enhances the energy of the performance: “It’s Rock style gives the play energy and pace & tension that builds through the play. The singing draws you in with its power and poignancy… audiences have a characteristic response to the play.”
As Jaya: A Rock Musical takes center stage at this year’s Delhi Theatre Festival, it promises to be an unmissable theatrical experience, combining the timeless themes of the Mahabharata with the energy and vibrancy of modern rock music.
