Vancouver playwrights reimagine a heartbreaking Punjabi folk tale at Monsoon Festival
In Dooja Ghar (The Other House)—A Mirza Sahiban Story, Andy Kalirai and Paneet Singh retell Pilu’s 17th century tragic romance
Andy Kalirai (left) and Paneet Singh.
South Asian Arts Society’s Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts presents Dooja Ghar (The Other House)—A Mirza Sahiban Story on August 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14 from 7:30 to 9 pm at Campbell Valley Red Barn (1065 224 Street), Langley
WHILE MOST PEOPLE are familiar with the love story of Romeo and Juliet, many might not be aware of the heartbreaking love tale of Mirza and Sahiban, which supposedly took place miles away in South Asia.
One of the most popular folk tales coming from India’s Punjab region, Mirza Sahiban, written by Pilu in the 17th-century, is unique as it is considered a love story of betrayal. Unlike other folk romances from Punjab, such as Heer Ranjha and Laila Majnu, when this love tale is referred to, the boy’s name precedes the girl’s. This is because even though Mirza, an arrow-wielding warrior, saved Sahiban, his lover in distress, from a forced marriage on the day of her wedding, he was tragically betrayed by her in the end.
The story is filled with twists and turns, and since Sahiban never got the chance to speak her truth, her love is always questioned.
Retelling the tragic romance through a modern perspective, local playwrights Paneet Singh and Andy Kalirai have envisioned the conversation that might have taken place between the lovers on the day of the tragedy.
Through a theatre production featuring artists of the South Asian diaspora, they are giving the tale new life. Dooja Ghar (The Other House)—A Mirza Sahiban Story will have its world premiere at South Asian Arts Society’s seventh annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts.
It is a version of the story “that’s much closer to home than someone would think,” says Kalirai, who is also one of the play’s actors.
The reinterpreted version by the Vancouver-born playwrights takes place in Surrey in the ’90s.
The site-specific work at Campbell Valley Red Barn touches on issues like forced marriages, patriarchy, casteism, religious differences, and more—issues that Kalirai says he, too, had to deal with growing up.
Writing his first script, he feels a special connection with Mirza’s character, to whom societal norms do not make sense. Kalirai says he grew up wanting to run away from certain traditional practices.
“As a young kid I was taught all those things and I kind of believed them until I started growing up and I realized the truth,” Kalirai says in an interview with Stir along with Singh.
Fascinated by the conclusion of the original folk tale, Kalirai shared his perspective with Singh two years ago. The two became even more intrigued by the storyline.
“There is not enough said about what Sahiban must have gone through before making a tough decision to choose something else over love,” Kalirai says.
As the duo sat together trying to decode Sahiban’s mind, ideas kept flowing in.
“We started imagining and brainstorming on questions like….‘What if we could talk to her [Sahiban]?What if we could empathize with Sahiban’s world?’,” explains Singh.
While researching and writing the script, Singh developed an affinity for Sahiban’s character.
“The complexity of the decisions that she [Sahiban] takes: I appreciate that,” Singh says. “I overthink a lot, so I do identify with her character that way.”
This is not the first time the two have worked together. Kalirai performed in Singh’s The Undocumented Trial of William C. Hopkinson at the 2018 Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts. According to Kalirai, with each playwright able to see their authentic selves in the lead characters, the writing unfolded like a discussion. The two believe they complimented each other well, with Singh bringing structure and Kalirai as the imaginative writer on the team.
Panthea Vatandoost.
Mixing English and Punjabi, the play directed by Panthea Vatandoost aims to take audiences on a journey, jumping back and forth between movements, songs, comedy, drama, languages, and moments of intimacy. The play also features contemporary dance choreographed by Nasiv Kaur Sall and Arash Khakpour.
Though Sall is South Asian, this is her first time working within her community. “This heartbreaking love story includes a lot of goofy and intimate dancing,” shares the Pitt Meadows-born dancer.
With other talents onboard like sound designers Ruby Singh and Jack Goodison; stage manager Shaurya Kanwar; and actors Rami Kahlon and Arkie Kandola, the play intends to bring back childhood memories of those who grew up in Surrey during the late 1990s.
More information is at monsoonartsfest.ca.
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