The annual celebration, held across Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House till November 17, once again stands as a powerful reminder of how art thrives through community spirit, collaboration, and creative continuity.
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Mumbai’s most beloved cultural gathering, the Prithvi Festival, returned this weekend with a soul-stirring opening, Prahlad Tipaniya and his troupe setting the tone through Kabir’s timeless verses performed in the evocative Malwa folk style. The annual celebration, held across Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House till November 17, once again stands as a powerful reminder of how art thrives through community spirit, collaboration, and creative continuity.
This year’s edition, themed around “celebrating stories, stage, and community”, brings together a diverse showcase of new plays, music concerts, film screenings, and artist conversations, cementing Prithvi’s role as a living, breathing hub of India’s performance ecosystem.
“It’s exciting to see senior and young directors sharing the same stage,” says Zahan Kapoor, trustee of Prithvi Theatre. “The festival wasn’t curated with a gender lens, but it’s interesting that many of the stories this year organically explore women-led narratives and perspectives.”
Spanning 17 days, the festival features each participating theatre group for two days, ensuring space for both established voices and emerging storytellers. The opening play, A Fish Ate My Cat, written and directed by Yuki Ellias, beautifully captures the blend of memory, fantasy, and live music, a fitting metaphor for the emotional depth and creativity the festival embodies.
The festival’s highlights include the premiere of Eden Creek, directed by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and Kaizaad Kotwal; Queen by Aditya Rawal, directed by Daniel D’Souza; Anatomy of a Suicide by Alice Birch, directed by Mohit Takalkar; and Ambaa, a gendered reimagining of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, adapted by Wrishabh and directed by Atul Kumar.
Adding to the milestone moments, Akvarious Productions celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025 with its 90th production, A Perfect Time to Panic, written and directed by Akarsh Khurana. Meanwhile, Queen, which debuted in the festival’s Fringe lineup two years ago, returns as a full-fledged mainstage play, a testament to how Prithvi nurtures experimental theatre into larger stories.
Beyond the performances, the festival continues to build bridges through workshops by legends like Naseeruddin Shah and Shernaz Patel, alongside screenings of National Theatre Live productions such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Inter Alia, and Present Laughter.
“The festival has always been about giving back to the community and rejuvenating the theatre movement,” says Kunal Kapoor, trustee of Prithvi Theatre. “It’s not just a showcase; it’s a celebration of legacy, of shared passion, and of artistic belonging.”
True to that ethos, the festival operates without major sponsorships, relying on the collective energy of artists, volunteers, and loyal audiences. As Zahan puts it, “It’s a labour of love, sustained by the very community it represents.”
In a city that never sleeps, Prithvi Festival remains that rare, sacred pause, where stories take center stage, and the magic of live performance continues to find new life, year after year.