With original music, cinematic staging, and high-impact choreography, the show brings epic scale to live performance — led by an all-women creative and performance team
What is KARN?
KARN is a contemporary, large-format stage production that reimagines a pivotal arc from the Indian epic Mahabharata. With original music, cinematic staging, and high-impact choreography, the show brings epic scale to live performance — led by an all-women creative and performance team.
What you’ll see
What you’ll seeEpic movement & action: Precision fight sequences and ensemble choreography—visceral yet elegant.
Original score: A driving soundscape that moves from intimate motifs to thunderous battle cues.
Cinematic visuals: Striking lighting, layered costumes, and bold stage pictures that transform the space in seconds.
A human core: Beyond spectacle, KARN centers on choice, loyalty, and courage—why we fight, and what we’re willing to risk.
The story
At the heart of KARN (Karna in the Mahabharata) is a warrior caught between destiny and duty. Gifted yet outcast, he must choose between allegiance and truth as rivalries sharpen and an empire tilts toward war. The production follows his ascent, his impossible loyalties, and the moment he decides who he really is—hero, friend, or instrument of fate.
From concept to stage: Anita Nayyar
Conceived and headlined by Anita Nayyar, KARN began with a simple question: how do we retell the Mahabharata so it feels urgent today? Anita assembled an all-women leadership— principal cast, movement captains, and core creative — to refract a traditionally male war epic through performance, presence, and precision. Drawing on her Indian–Russian background, she fuses classical discipline with contemporary athleticism, treating combat as choreography and character as momentum.
Event details
Event detailsDate: Sunday, 25 January 2026
Showtimes: 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Venue: Theatre by QE2, Dubai
Tickets
Premium and VIP seating are limited. Book now on Platinumlist!