The city of dreams will soon turn into the drama haven as the National School of Drama (NSD) has made an in official announcement about Mumbai chapter base for 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) 2026. This year, the festival celebrates its silver jubilee in what is being described as the world’s largest international theatre jamboree and it will see Mumbai –at the throbbing nerve centre of performance in India—host a power-packed five-day schedule commencing February 9th till February 13, 2026.
The Mumbai chapter will take place at the historic Prabodhankar Thackeray Auditorium, and is titled “Samvad Sanskritiyon Ka” (A Dialogue of Cultures). This year, it is being held in a landmark partnership with the Maharashtra government’s cultural affairs department and P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, offering audiences a curated experience that straddles traditional roots and modern avant-garde theatre.
The Mumbai Lineup: A Cloak of Languages and Feels
As it reaches out over the country at 40 locations nationwide, this 25th BRM is tailor-made for a city known for its own cosmopolitan values – Mumbai. Theatre enthusiasts can look forward to a variety of plays in several Indian languages as well as some experimental forms.
Among the most awaited acts during the Mumbai leg is the performance of “Adhe Adhure” on February 13, the closing day. A milestone in Indian modern drama, this play examines the complexities of a middle-aged woman’s quest for fulfillment within a decaying family structure —and that storyline is as essential today as it ever was.
The programme also includes a blend of local gems and invited productions that correspond to the “Dialogues of Cultures” subject. From songs and soirees to folk-inspired storytelling and bitter social during evening shows at the Prabodhankar Thackeray Auditorium that promise packed houses, as the city refuses to flag in its commitment of serious theatre.
25 Years Of Excellence - The Silver Jubilee “Mahakumbh”
The 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav is no ordinary festival; it is an epoch in the annals of world arts. As the NSD Director Chittaranjan Tripathy perfectly put it, this festival edition is a ‘Kumbh of Theatre’— a place where all class distinctions are shed to bring on an egalitarian and democratic space.
Inclusive Theatre: Dancing on the Margins
A major tenet of the 25th edition: radical inclusivity. On such a large scale for the first time, performance curators have invited transgender communities, sex workers and senior citizens to decommodify those who upon becoming “consumable” went through arduous processes for acceptance in these spaces.
The “Theatre Bazaar” and “Shruti” Experiment
Besides performances, the Mumbai leg will delve into the academic side of Arts and Letters.
Theatre Bazaar: This is for new playwrights, it shall be a place to showcase and publish in India so the next generation of Indian writers have a voice where they are heard and read.
Shruti: As part of this project the NSD is releasing 17 new books at the festival. These works range from translations of classic scripts to biographies of some of the biggest names in theatre history, and technical books for stagecraft – they form a permanent record marking twenty-five years of talking about theatre.
Why the Mumbai Chapter Matters?
The relationship between Mumbai and the theatre is a visceral one. Home to dream factories, the city’s soul pulsates not amidst its glitzy multiplexes but in the tiny auditoria of Dadar, Borivali and one called Prithvi, which means ‘earth’ or ‘element’. With the Prabodhankar Thackeray Auditorium in Borivali as its venue of choice NSD has taken world class art, and art education to the suburban heartland of Marathi and Gujarati theatre where it can easily be translated for a wider audience.
