Arjuna’s life has been a non-stop preparation for war, but the curse of Urvashi forces him to drop the bow and become a teacher of dance and music. The muster with which he grasps his bow in the war at Virata, fails him at Kurukshetra. Arjuna seeks succour in the words of Krishna, but redemption is far off, as he is accused of “unmanly” tactics to kill his opponents. Does the curse of Urvashi follow Arjuna for life?

The future is as blank as the present or the past. A curse is cursed. Even silence is silenced. This is how Bala deconstructs or reconstructs, if you prefer, the known classics in his own inimitable style. Time and again he has revisited the classics only to reset them in his/our time. Bala knows his strengths-minimalism, in his writing as well as in his productions, simple yet powerful, silent yet screaming. I have always cherished reading ‘poetry’ in his plays, watching ‘dance’ in his stage versions. Of course, he is one of the most important playwrights and directors of contemporary Indian theatre.

– Surendranath Suri, Director and playwright