Shamsheer Dast staged

Performed by a Patiala troupe, the play had the audience glued to their seats. It was divided into various acts, each ending with a song depicting the mental tribulations suffered by Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb, portrayed by Jaswinder Julka, suffers at all the tidings he receives from Asit Khan about the Punjab region. In order to crush Guru Gobind Singh8217;s influence, Aurangzeb makes a number of plans and even resorts to war but only to lose in the end even as his own son starts rebelling and takes over from him. The emperor slowly loses the love and affection of his wife and daughter and is left without any moral or emotional support to fall back on.

While Aurangzeb is left to suffer and die, the Guru8217;s word is shown as winning over all the efforts of the emperor. In the end, when Aurangzeb dies, it is a climactic scene as Aurangzeb sees his own death in front of him and talks to it about his life and how death accuses him of being the tyrant that he was.