From stand-up to street beats, Rada brings Marathi pop culture to one stage

Pune: Marathi pop culture is in the middle of an undeniable boom online, and if there were ever a way to bottle that energy, it would probably look a lot like Rada. Set to take place on March 28-29 at The Orchid Hotel grounds, Balewadi. The festival marks Maharashtra's first large-scale attempt at putting its digital creators, musicians, comedians, and cultural voices on one very high-energy and self-aware stage.Organised by Bharatiya Digital Party, fondly called BhaDiPa by their followers online, the festival positions itself at the intersection of internet culture and live performance, bringing together creators, musicians, comedians, and audiences who have largely interacted through screens until now. The name Rada itself, drawn from Marathi slang for chaos, signals exactly what to expect, a high-energy, anything-goes celebration of a culture that has steadily expanded its footprint beyond regional boundaries.For BhaDiPa co-founder Sarang Sathaye, the initiative is about both recognition and momentum. "Rada will show that the Marathi audience craves authenticity," he said, noting that while Marathi creators and musicians are making waves globally, there has been little chance to celebrate collectively. "Since Sairat, we've never truly come together to mark our wins. This stage does exactly that," Sathaye added.The line-up reflects that sense of scale. DJ-producer Kratex, credited with pushing the M-House sound and taking tracks like Tambdi Chambdi to international club circuits, will return for a homecoming performance. Content creator Prajakta Koli, known as MostlySane, will engage with audiences on navigating identity and global visibility, while hip-hop voices such as Srushti Tawade and 100 RBH bring lyricism rooted in contemporary realities.The festival also doubles up as a convergence point for Maharashtra's growing hip-hop scene, with Shreyas Sagvekar and Vedang, YUNG DSA, Mahi G, and Siddhesh X Tilted Rayz representing a generation that blends local language with global sounds. Alongside them, performers like Shubhangi Kedar and the poetry collective Akshar Akshar Tuzech Aahe ensure space for melody and verse that draw from older traditions while finding new audiences online.Co-founder of BhaDiPa, Paula McGlynn sees this as a natural next step in the evolution of Marathi content. "Marathi artists have been breaking barriers and shaping how the culture looks and sounds radically," she said, pointing out that despite global recognition, creators have lacked a shared stage. "Rada is a democratic space for their fans and them to come together and bask in this new dawn of Marathi pop culture," said McGlynn.Veteran musician Avadhoot Gupte frames the festival as part of a larger cultural shift. Reflecting on how Marathi audiences have historically embraced change and made the most of it, he noted that the event represents "the new churn of Marathi content" across language, thought, and expression. "The format itself offers room to experiment, so my performance is going to be experimental with songs that I hardly ever perform on stage. I am optimistic of the audience I am going to get that will allow me to do something new," he said.Comedy and creator culture form a significant part of the programming, with names like Fatima Ayesha, Ganesh Joshi, Neel Salekar, Yashraj Mukhate, and Sahil Sheikh bringing their distinct online personas to a live audience. Sheikh summed up the mood succinctly, saying, "The festival will be a full-on cultural explosion where raw talent meets crazy energy."