The 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the theatre festival of the National School of Drama (NSD), India’s foremost theatre academy, will get underway on February 14 in New Delhi. Shows will be held simultaneously in Jaipur, Rajahmundry, Ranchi, Guwahati, Jammu, Srinagar, Bhopal, Nashik and Kevadia — to cover all regions of the country — till the finale on February 26. Plays will be performed in 16 Indian languages. The festival is being held under the aegis of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and Festive Spirits of India’s G-20 Presidency”.
A special feature of the festival this year is the collaborative model in which NSD has tied up with state governments and institutions. One of the benefits is that more artists and organisations feel like a part of the national theatre festival. The other advantage is that it brings down costs for NSD by almost 20 per cent as we are getting venues, accommodation and/or transport free in several cities as per Prof (Dr) Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Director, NSD, who addressed a press conference on February 6 at NSD.
This is the first time BRM is being held in February, as used to happen before the pandemic. Last year, the festival was held in July under the Azadi segment of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav event. Unlike pre-pandemic years, there will be no international production in this year’s BRM. “Due to Covid, it was decided not to invite foreign plays,” said Gaur.
He added that audiences can look forward to important segments such as ‘Meet the Director’, where audience members can quiz the creators of plays the morning after a show; five book launches, including one about NSD, seminars, masterclasses and ‘Living Legends”, which turns the spotlight on a doyen of an art form. “Delhi is hosting 10 traditional performances in this festival… We have made an effort to accommodate young theatre aficionados too,” said Gaur.
