The annual Prithvi Festival kicked off on Saturday evening with a special, peppy performance of Kabir’s songs in the Malwa folk style composed by Prahlad Tibania and his group. The festival, which believes in “celebrating stories, theater and the spirit of community”, will be held until November 17, at the Prithvi Theater and Prithvi House, and will include a number of new plays; Showcasing acclaimed UK National Theater productions; Conversations with famous artists; Catwalk shows and concerts.
Sharing details about the 17-day festival, Zahan Kapoor, one of the curators of Prithvi Theatre, said, “This year, we have given the theater groups, who present their plays, two days each. Most of them give three shows and some give four shows.” The festival’s opening play is A Fish Ate My Cat, written and directed by Yuki Elias. In the play, you follow an elderly dreamer who speaks with objects, remembers a forbidden love, and connects with her son as memory, imagination, and vivid music intertwine in love, laughter, and abandon.
Festival highlights include the premiere of Eden Creek, directed by Mahabano Modi Kotwal and Kaizad Kotwal Mahabano Modi Kotwal; The Queen, written by Aditya Rawal and directed by Daniel D’Souza; And Anatomy of a Suicide, written by Alice Birch and directed by Mohit Takalkar and others. The film A Perfect Time to Panic, written and directed by Akarsh Khurana, and Ambaa, an adaptation of the play Lysistrata by the Greek comedy playwright Aristophanes, will also open during the festival. The play is adapted by Rishabh and is directed by Atul Kumar.
Commenting on this year’s works, Zahan said: “It is exciting that the festival includes works by both old and young directors. There is a lot of energy and new content.” Interestingly, many of the productions this year revolve around women-centric themes or plays from women’s perspectives. He added: “We did not organize the festival with this focus, but we are happy that these topics emerged organically.”
The festival will also host a series of workshops, including those by Naseeruddin Shah and Shernaz Patel. As part of NT Live, screenings of A Streetcar Named Desire, Inter Alia and Present Laughter will take place.
This year marks a major milestone for Akvarious Productions, whose play A Perfect Time to Panic is its 90th production, coinciding with the group’s 25th anniversary in 2025. Meanwhile, Queen, which premiered two years ago as part of the festival’s Fringe offerings, returns as a full production on the main stage.
Speaking about the festival, Kunal Kapoor, Curator, Prithvi Theatre, emphasized the vision behind it. “The festival has always been about giving back and rejuvenating the theater world – for both artists and audiences. It’s a celebration of the performing arts, our community, and our roots,” he says.
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Zahan believes that hosting the annual festival requires a team effort. “There’s no sponsor and there’s very little outside support,” Zahan says. “So, it’s really a community-led effort.”
(Tags for translation)Prithvi Festival
