Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2020 to showcase post-modern theatre

The 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM), India's biggest theatre festival, organised by the National School of Drama (NSD), is all set to liven up the wintry afternoons with a heady mix of romance, suspense, comedy and music, served up in a culturally diverse bouquet of world-class plays, interactive sessions and allied events.

Eagerly anticipated by theatre enthusiasts, the festival will commence in New Delhi on February 1, 2020 and continue till February 21, 2020. The inaugural ceremony will be held at Kamani auditorium on February 1, 2020 at 5:00 pm.

During the festival theatre enthusiasts will be treated to an exciting mix of post-modern theatre that promises an indulging theatre experience, alongside authentic 'deep-remote-area' regional performance forms. BRM 2020 will showcase a range of productions comprising 101 shows from critically acclaimed plays carefully curated from across India and around the world.

The festival will host a total of 91 plays pan India including 10 foreign plays. These plays have been selected as finalists for BRM 2020, after screening 795 Indian and 71 foreign plays. They also include 10 rare folk productions; by eminent theatre practitioners and 3 plays by the NSD Repertory.

Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar's crime-drama 'Kusoor' will be the first show to kick start a long line-up of top-notch performances over the next twenty-one days. The 90-minute long opening act revolves around the life of retired Assistant Police Commissioner Dandavate, whose life changes over the course of the night when he volunteers to serve at the police control room. A phone call leads to a series of twists and turns, and when Dandavate leaves the control room, he's a changed man.

In keeping with its concerted efforts to promote theatre among people and take selected performances pan India, NSD will also host the festival in other parts of the country namely Shillong, Dehradun, Nagpur, Vellupuram and Puducherry.

Speaking of BRM 2020, Dr Arjun Deo Charan, Acting Chairman, NSD Society said, BRM aims at uniting individuals and subsequently, we have spread the celebration of nation over with the goal that venue contacts an increasing number of individuals. BRM has been an exceptionally effective celebration drawing in a ton of crowd and we trust a comparative run for the current year as well."

The 21-day long festival this year will include plays in Hindi, English, and otherregional languages. The national capital will host 73 plays: 18 plays in Hindi, 11 in Bengali, 6 in Assamese, 4 in English,3 in Manipuri, 2 each in Hindustani, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannad, Marathi, Odiya and 1 each in Bhojpuri, Maithili, Malwi / Rajasthani, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli, Awadhi, Tamil, Marathi /Konkani, Multilingual and Non Verbal. 10 foreign plays from International productions will be from countries such as USA (2),Russia (2), Bangladesh (2), Sri Lanka (1), the Czech Republic (1) and Nepal (2) will enthral the audience during the theatrical spectacle.

Addressing media at the press conference, Shri Suresh Sharma, Director In-charge, National School of Drama (NSD), said, "The 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav focuses on providing an engaging audience experience. There are shows that will leave a far larger imprint on the audience than just making them simply watch something. Hence the audience will also experience the importance of space, design and environments."

The performances in New Delhi will be held at the NSD's Bahawalpur House campus, Kamani auditoriums and Shri Ram Centre.

The World Theatre Forum and the National Seminar on theatre will also be held as part of the BRM 2020 festival in Delhi.

Besides the plays which will be staged every evening, the NSD campus will be abuzz with allied performances which will include street plays, Director-Meet events, Living Legend Master Class and Advitiya (Youth Forum). The youth forum shows will comprise performances by dramatic societies of nearly 50colleges in Delhi while ambience performances will bring folk dance and other traditional performing art forms.

Audiences can also take their pick from a range of motley of stalls offering an interesting mix of products and culinary delights.

BRM 2020 will be held across India on these dates in February

New Delhi – 1st to 21st

Shillong – 4th to 10th

Dehradun – 6th to 12th

Nagpur – 9th to 15th

Vellupuram and Puducherry – 12th to 18th

New Delhi - Venue and timings

Open Lawn, Bahumukh: 6:00pm

Shri Ram Centre: 5:30 pm

Abhimanch: 8:30 pm

Kamani: 7:00 pm