Pakistan witnesses first-ever performance of Ramayana in one of a kind AI-powered version

The one-year-old Mauj Collective is renowned for fusing modern technology with approachable narrative, which particularly appeals to younger audiences.

Amid ongoing Indo-Pak tensions, an unprecedented cultural event unfolded in Karachi as Ramayana premiered at the Arts Council of Pakistan on July 11. Directed by 30-year-old finance graduate-turned-theatre director Yogeshwar Karera, the stage adaptation of the Hindu epic drew attention not only for its bold timing but also for its groundbreaking execution.

This was the first time the Ramayana had ever been performed in Pakistan. Karera was the only Hindu in the cast, which was surprisingly all Muslim. AI-enhanced storytelling was also used in the production to update and enhance the classic tale.

The play generated discussions on both sides of the border and sold close to 1,000 tickets despite the geopolitical tensions between the two countries. The sheer volume of interest surprised Yogeshwar, who claimed that the political atmosphere had no bearing on the staging.

Raana Kazmi, co-founder of the Mauj Collective and an HR professional by day, echoed this sentiment. “There were no reservations from sponsors or venues. It’s only the media who brought up whether this would be seen as controversial. In reality, people from all walks of life—regardless of religion—attended. Families, students, elderly... everyone was there.”

The one-year-old Mauj Collective is renowned for fusing modern technology with approachable narrative, which particularly appeals to younger audiences. The group maintains that their performance of the Ramayana was not intended as a call for interfaith harmony, despite some viewers taking that as the interpretation.

For cultural relatability, they made small linguistic changes, such as replacing words like "prakriti" with more regionally relevant terms like "kudrat," which occasionally resulted in humorous miscommunications.

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Karera, a Sindhi who moved to Karachi in his teens, revealed that he first became enthralled with the Ramayana when he was five years old and watched Ramanand Sagar's televised adaptation on Doordarshan.

After completing a diploma at Pakistan’s National Academy of Performing Arts, he co-founded Mauj Collective with friends Kazmi and Sana Toaha, bringing his childhood inspiration to life on stage in a way that defied borders, religion, and expectations.