​Dastangoi Performance at The Junction

Urdu lovers in Dubai are in for a memorable treat on Saturday evening as Danstangoi — a 16th century art of storytelling — comes alive on stage at the Junction in Alserkal Avenue.

There will be never a dull moment as the duo of Askari Naqvi and Sunil Mehra will have the jam-packed audience in a vice-like grip and takes them on a roller-coaster ride of emotions through their stimulating narration of stories penned by eminent Indian writer, the late Ismat Chugtai who was known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology.

Danstagoi is a classic form of Persian storytelling in which the dastango–or storyteller–uses his voice as a primary tool to recreate the story. Unlike theatre, in Dastangoi there are no sets or props to assist storytellers. All what they have is voice, expression and good content. Mehra and Naqvi used these traits to create such remarkably detailed scenes that the audience was instantly transported into another world.

They are one of the leading Indian crusaders of a steadily reviving art form. Mehra and Naqvi are now showcasing Chugtai’s candid and oft-controversial stories. Once dragged to court over the nature of her stories in the 1950s, Chugtai’s writings explore and expose social mores with biting, hilarious and poignant honesty. Master storytellers Mehra and Naqvi are reviving the writer’s compelling and entertaining stories at The Junction, an independent performing arts theatre at Alserkal Avenue.

Experience Urdu storytelling like never before!