How Peter Brook’s ‘Mahabharata’ influenced creative minds across the world

Akram Khan was 14 when he appeared in Peter Brook’s nine-hour grand theater production of Mahabharata, presented by an unparalleled multi-cultural contingent of 21 actors from 16 countries.

For a generation that saw BR Chopra’s hugely popular tele-series as the most authentic representations of the Indian epic, both the West and the East were initially interested when Peter, who died in Paris on 3 July, met the Staged its adaptation in French. English version. The renowned theater director found that Mahabharata resonates strongly with his acting and aesthetics. His interpretation, essentially in the spirit of Shakespeare, offered a surprising contrast between human folly and fantasies, intrigue and emotion, war and peace. Any other director would have been aware of its scale and complexity, but not Peter, who carved a place for himself in history by facing such dramatic challenges.

For Akram, a second-generation Bangladeshi immigrant in London struggling to find his identity, the Mahabharata came as a great opportunity to boldly embrace his Asian roots. At the time he was taking Kathak training at his mother’s insistence, although he was eager to perfect his Michael Jackson demeanor.

For two years, he traveled with Peter Brook as part of the ensemble, watching the master closely and learning. At the same time, he internalized the ancient text. Akram said, “When I left the troupe, I realized how much Peter had an impact on me and how I was affected by the Mahabharata.” Hindu In 2018 when he toured with his final single, ‘Xenos’.

Akram Khan | photo credit: Joel Saget

Peter Brook focused on the women in the epic as much as many of the male characters. Not satisfied with just bringing him into limelight, the talented storyteller really recognized his power and role in the Kaurava-Pandava feud. And this is reflected in Akram’s own early work, ‘Gnosis’, based on the story of Gandhari and how her maternal instincts influenced her primary role as the Kaurava queen.

When Akram’s “Until the Lions” premiered in 2016, it felt like the dancer-choreographer needed another excuse to show what drew him to his association with the unmatched Peter. This passage was also based on the Mahabharata, specifically another strong woman, Amba (taken from Kartika Nair’s book of poetry by the same name).

Although Akram’s narrative and technique intricately blend the essence of Kathak and contemporary vocabulary, the core is defined by the lively yet effortless style that marked Peter’s approach. On Peter’s passing, Akram says, “I loved the way he saw his art in the world he lived in.” In an email interview in the midst of a hectic performance schedule in Paris, he continued: “Being in his presence I began to see the world as a vast stage, where stories unfold and hide, teach and our Help us reflect on the stories created by. From within. This was one of those productions that changed my further journey as an artist. It opened my eyes to what theater really is and What could it be.” Incidentally, London-born Peter moved to Paris in the early 1970s in the middle of an important career. There he joined the International Center of Theater Research to develop his own kind of work. which included both the classics and the experimental.

Even carrying the label of a shaman with a panache, Peter remained a constant explorer of spaces, for example when he chose a mine near Avignon for the evening staging of the Mahabharata. . And also, a genius teller of stories: what better example than the trilogy of author Jean-Claude Carrier based on the epic. In the process, he inspired creative minds to investigate and question and to be courageous and different.

Farooq Choudhary, a well-known voice in the British cultural world and co-founder and producer of the Akram Khan Company, calls Peter “a true visionary”. “With a heavy heart we mourn his loss. Peter Brook’s pioneering and unshakeable spirit demanded us to see the universe and the complexity of being human through his chosen theater. “It is not easy to describe in a few words how he influenced and inspired an entire generation of storytellers,” says Farooq.

“He was and will be a British national treasure, but like all true greats, he spoke for all of us and for all of us. Call it global or universal or what would you do other than define it geographically, it is reductive He will be sorely missed and as the world becomes uncertain and unsafe, his passing will remind us that we can only change things for the better if we try to protect the innocence and purity of our most precious thoughts and stories Be ready for anything,” says Farooq.