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Jairangam Fringes Theatre Fest at Mukkti Cultural Hub, new centre for Theatre, Dance, Music and Visual Arts

Located near the Versova metro terminus, in Mumbai, the Mukkti Cultural Hub is a new location for artistes and audiences, where each and every one from all parts of Indian society can converge to experience and express arts culture. Since its opening in August 2019, it has become one of the sought after venues lately for showcasing the arts for the space-starved artistes in the city. The venue has seen frequent play performances. The latest event in their line-up is currently on, the Jairangam Fringes Theatre Festival, running from the 15th to the 17th of December. 

Smita Thackeray, who is championing the cause of breathing life in the cultural section of the society expresses, “Mumbai does not have many multi-use spaces for artistic and cultural expression. We have added a new vantage point in the form of the Mukkti Cultural Hub in Andheri West, that will cater to the needs of people in Performing Arts, and we are hoping for it to become the hub of entertainment in our City, especially in the suburbs.”  Smita is the Founder-Chairperson of Mukkti Foundation (set-up in 1997), owner of Rahul Productions and a former President of the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association. She has worked in the field of Women's Safety, HIV/AIDS awareness and education and for the de-stigmatisation of the LGBT community.

Smita Thackeray, née Chitre, has two sons, Rahul and Aishvary, both of who graduated from American School of Bombay. Rahul went on to study cinema at the Toronto Film School and is currently a Marathi and Hindi film writer/director and film-maker. On Sunday evening, Rahul and his wife Aditi were seen meeting and greeting people at the inauguration of the Jairangam Fringes Theatre Festival. “We hope you have a good time. Do give us your valuable feedback,” they told this writer. “This is the first festival we are having here, though individual plays have been staged many times. And it is not only theatre that we want to promote. Social issues like women’s empowerment are also on our agenda,” they added.

3Mdot brands, in collaboration with the Ministry of Art and Culture, Government of India, in association with Mukkti Foundation, has organised the 3-day theatre festival for the first time in Mumbai.  The festival showcases six classic theatre plays: “The Way I see It” by Shiv Subrahmanyam, “Pitaji Please” by Makrand Deshpande (staged on 15 December), “Kiss of the Spider Woman” by Hardik Shah, “Baanswada Company” by Niresh Kumar, “Hum Gunahgar Auratein” by Sadiya Siddiqui and “Ballygunge 1990” by Atul Satya Koushik.

Makrand Deshpande, Deepak Gera, Mahesh Bhatt,Virendra Saxena (film, TV and theatre actor) and Rahul Thackeray, at the inauguration

Deepak Gera, Director of Festival, Jairangam Fringes, says, "The previous seven seasons proved to be tremendously successful and the 8th edition was another feather in the cap. In view that the dream that Jairangam weaved for Jaipur, Rajasthan (its base), is now a reality, it plans to weave the same dream for other states in the country – Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Karnataka. The aim at the core of Jairangam is to establish a stage for inter-cultural exchange, by bringing together plays and artistes from different regions under one roof.”

On the occasion, guest Mahesh Bhatt, renowned film producer and director, said, "Theatre connects people. Music, cinema, theatre all help to connect with each other. Its a great pleasure to see a renowned theatre group along bringing a festival from another city coming to Mumbai, to showcase different talents, in the entertainment capital ofIndia, Mumbai. It's an immense pleasure to see all artisest performing very nicely, under one roof.”

The plays to be staged today and tomorrow are:

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (Hindi | 90 Mins)

Show: Monday, 16th December, 4 PM

Synopsis: Kiran, a stereotypical homosexual window-dresser and Divy, a political prisoner are sharing a prison cell. Kiran has been convicted of a sexual "perversion," while Divy has been arrested for his revolutionary activities. In order to pass the time, Kirande scribes in great detail to Divy a movie he once saw. Further, follows a tale of an unlikely friendship, but Kiran certainly has something more for Divy in his heart.

Director: Hardik Shah

Cast: Hardik Shah, Mukti Ravi Das, Gurinder Kumar, Lalita Pandey

Playwright: Manuel Puig

Dramaturge: Vikram Phukan

Adaptation by Prateek Srivastava

BAANSWADA COMPANY (Hindi, Rajasthani | 1 Hr 34 Mins)

Show: Monday, 16th December, 7 PM 

Synopsis: Set in Rajasthan, the play 'Baanswada Company' spins around a director, named Bhalchand, who dreams Baanswada to be India's top theatre company and also wants to bring his father, Khayali Ram's dream of showcasing a Shakespearean play soon. Even after such achievable aspirations, the company is unable to stage any show to perfection as the artists fail to take optimum responsibility and are seemingly not mature enough in their conduct.

Director: Niresh Kumar

Cast: Nikhil Modi, Sachin Bhatt, Amrit Arora, Jaswinder Singh, Jyoti Negi, Madhumita Barik and others

HUM GUNAHGAR AURTEIN (Urdu | 1 Hr)

Show: Tuesday, 17th December, 4 PM

Synopsis: ‘Hum Gunahgar Auratein’ is an evening of story readings written by feminist writers, culled from Urdu literature. The stories employ the message of unheard voices and battles.

Story Teller: Sadiya Siddiqui

BALLYGUNGE 1990 (Hindi | 90 Mins)

Show: Tuesday, 17th December, 7 PM

Synopsis: “Ballygunge 1990” is a ninety-minute Thriller Play which is set in the year 1990 and the story unfolds in Ballygunge, a famous place in Calcutta (Kolkata). Kartik and Vasuki were once in a very passionate relationship for more than 10 years before Kartik left Vasuki behind to set out to chase his dreams in Mumbai. Vasuki is now married to a famous painter, Binoy Das and is living a life full of regrets. On the evening of Durga Pooja, she invited him over for a coffee at her mansion. Is everything going to change forever?

Director: Atul Satya Koushik

Cast: Annup Sonii and Nishtha Paliwal Tomar.