Dubai is set to host a revival of dastangoi, the centuries-old Urdu oral storytelling tradition, on October 11 at Nawab, Jebel Ali Recreation Club. The performance, titled "Do Awazein, Kai Afsaane," brings together Indian performers Sunil Mehra and Pallav Mishra, who will narrate the witty and satirical short stories of celebrated Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai.
Mehra brings decades of experience in journalism, television and acting, having held senior editorial roles at The Times of India, Outlook and India Today. Mishra is a writer, producer and editor with Rekhta, a platform dedicated to Urdu language and literature, and is also recognised as a poet and Urdu scholar.
Dastangoi relies almost entirely on the performer's voice, facial expressions and gestures rather than elaborate sets or props, with artists traditionally seated on stage throughout the narration. For the Dubai show, Mehra and Mishra will keep to that tradition, appearing in simple kurtas and skullcaps rather than costumes or staging. The pair have previously staged dastangoi performances for audiences in India as well as international cities including London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Doors for the Dubai performance open at 6:30pm, with the show beginning at 7:30pm. Tickets are priced at Dh250 and are available through Q-Tickets and District, part of a broader effort to introduce a wider Gulf audience to a storytelling form rooted in 19th-century Lucknow's literary salons.