Star-studded opening night marks the 39th Prithvi Theatre Festival

The 39th edition of the Prithvi Theatre Festival opened on Sunday, kicking off with a glamorous evening attended by the crème de la crème of theatre and film industry. The main attraction was the inaugural qawwali performance by Munnawar Masoom.










Renowned actors, directors, and theatre aficionados filled the premises, creating an electric atmosphere that spoke of the festival’s legendary reputation for celebrating art and performance.
Running until the 18th, the festival features an impressive lineup of over 35 events. Attendees can look forward to an eclectic mix of plays, screenings, live music, and dance, including 12 platform performances, and nine premieres taking centrestage. "The Prithvi Theatre Festival is like a dose of vitamin injection," said Kunal Kapoor, Trustee, adding, "It rejuvenates, it creates excitement and brings thespians and audiences together in a way only Prithvi can."
This year, Prithvi Theatre is also celebrating its 46th birth anniversary. Speaking about the milestone, Zahan Kapoor said, "This year’s festival is extra special because it’s spread over 16 days instead of the usual 10. There’s so much more buzz and activity! We have an especially exciting lineup, with something for everyone: drama, comedy, tragedy, solo performances, eight fringe theatre, four music concerts, as well as four stagetalks honoring luminaries Om Puri, Sunil Shanbag, Shernaz Patel, and Veenapani Chawla. I'm thrilled to share that we’re featuring four NTLive screenings—Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet, and more and hoping to make this a monthly feature.”
Highlights include stage legends like Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah, Manav Kaul, Kumud Mishra, Makarand Deshpande, and Girija Oak, as well as emerging talents who have added fresh vigor to the scene.
Present at the event were Kunal Kapoor, Sanjna Kapoor, Zahan Kapoor, Shaira Laura Kapoor, Makarand Deshpande, Dia Mirza, Feroz Abbas Khan, Manav Kaul, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Vivan Shah, Sachin Khedekar, Juhi Babbar Soni, Anup Soni Jaya Bachchan, Navya Naveli Nanda, Agastya Nanda, Paresh Rawal, Aditya Rawal, Lillete Dubey, Ila Arun, Ishita Arun, Rajat Kapoor, Girija Oak, Nimrat Kaur, Pooja Bhat, Mahesh Bhatt, Vikramaditya Motwane, Neena Gupta, Satyadeep Mishra, Aahana S Kumra, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Alyy Khan, Sayani Gupta, Neetu Chandra and others.
This year's Prithvi Theatre Festival promises to be a memorable, artistically enriching celebration—a testament to the theatre’s enduring legacy as a cultural beacon for India’s art lovers.