When Ram met Raavan in Karachi: Ramayana takes the centre-stage in Pakistan for the first time ever

Economic Times

3 days ago

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In a groundbreaking moment for South Asian theatre, Ramayana —the Hindu epic—was performed for the first time in Pakistan, premiering on July 11 at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, reported TOI.
Directed by 30-year-old Yogeshwar Karera, the production featured an all-Muslim cast (except for the director), cutting-edge use of AI, and a sold-out show of around 1,000 tickets—despite ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Karera, a finance graduate-turned-theatre director, launched the play under the banner of Mauj Collective, a Karachi-based theatre group he co-founded just a year ago. 'We didn't anticipate this level of enthusiasm,' Karera admitted, referring to the warm reception from audiences and the cross-border curiosity it generated. Rather than stir controversy, the show sparked admiration.According to the report, the team also promoted the play with a clever twist: a social media video featuring light-hearted, imaginative questions like 'If Ram could tweet from the forest, what would he say?' and 'If Raavan gave a TED Talk, what would its title be?' The video went viral, adding buzz in the lead-up to the premiere.
While the Hindu epic might be seen as a religiously sensitive choice in Pakistan, the cast and crew say they encountered no resistance. 'Nobody questioned our decision—not the sponsors, not the venues,' said Raana Kazmi, who co-founded Mauj Collective and played the role of Sita. 'It only came up when the media asked. People from all walks of life came to see it—students, families, seniors. A friend even shared how a parent explained each scene to their child during the show.' Karera's childhood fascination with the Ramayana began with watching Ramanand Sagar's televised version on Doordarshan, TOI further reported.'Even though I'm not from the religious community it's rooted in, the story always felt like mine. It's part of our subcontinental culture, and its values are universal,' he said. To bridge cultural and linguistic gaps, the team modified a few Sanskrit and Hindi terms to ones more familiar to Karachi audiences. Words like prakriti became kudrat . These adjustments occasionally led to on-stage hiccups, said TOI.
'In one scene, Hanuman gives me a ring, and I know the word anguthi . But one day, Jibran (who played Hanuman) said 'mundrika,' and I just froze,' Kazmi laughed, recalling the confusion. 'I had no idea what a mundrika was supposed to be.' Ashmal Lalwany, who played Ram, echoed the belief that the story felt organically theirs to tell. 'It was never about messaging or politics. We weren't trying to say anything profound—we were just telling a story that belongs to this land.'
With strong performances, modern tech, and a fearless reinterpretation of a cultural classic, Mauj Collective's Ramayana not only entertained—it made history.