Vasant, the much loved Annual Gujarati Theatre Festival returns this April to NCPA!
- Deepak Sinha
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
Mumbai, April 2025 – The much-anticipated Gujarati theatre festival Vasant returns to the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) from 25th to 27th April 2025, bringing a vibrant line-up of original, experimental, and thought-provoking work. Since its inception in 2011, Vasant has championed unconventional Gujarati theatre, becoming one of the NCPA’s flagship initiatives to celebrate regional theatre and connect with the ever-growing Gujarati-speaking community.
This year’s edition marks the festival’s return after a hiatus of several years and reaffirms the NCPA’s commitment to honouring regional voices. With an eclectic programme that includes new plays, spoken word performances, poetry, and workshops, Vasant 2025 is both a tribute to the legacy of Gujarati theatre and a showcase for contemporary perspectives. By curating bold and unconventional narratives, the NCPA continues to expand the reach of Gujarati theatre, encouraging deeper audience engagement and fostering an environment where culture and creativity meet.
“Theatre is the heartbeat of India’s cultural expression, and it is our responsibility at the NCPA to preserve, champion, and elevate these vibrant traditions,” says Bruce Guthrie, Head of Theatre and Films at the NCPA. “We’re delighted to bring Vasant back as part of our regular theatre programming—celebrating Gujarati language, stories, and artistic innovation. This festival is a space where the past and present of Gujarati theatre intersect and where artists and audiences come together to rediscover the transformative power of performance. We hope Vasant continues inspiring new generations of Gujarati theatre-makers and reminds us of the cultural richness of this language and its storytelling traditions.”
Festival Highlights
The festival opens with the premiere of Clean Bold by acclaimed director Manoj Shah. Inspired by Valerie Solanas’s radical feminist text SCUM Manifesto, the play centres on Vijee, a woman who dismantles the glorified image of men through historical and contemporary anecdotes. The piece reimagines Solanas’s anguish and provocation within a uniquely Gujarati framework.
Day two brings a poetic and musical evening with Thodi Kavita Thodu Natak Thoda Geeto, presented by renowned theatre-maker Saumya Joshi. The performance blends spoken word, poetry, and music, featuring Mousam and Malka Mehta on vocals and Jigar Shah on percussion. It includes selections from Joshi’s most celebrated works, such as his Coke Studio Bharat hit Khalasi.
Another anticipated production is Patra Mitro – A Story Told Through Letters, Naushil Mehta’s Gujarati adaptation of A.R. Gurney’s classic Love Letters. The play follows Kalpana and Jawahar’s lifelong correspondence, exploring themes of love, loss, and the political shifts of post-independence India.
Day three begins with The Fundamentals of Writing, a workshop by playwright and screenwriter Amatya Goradia. This interactive session, designed for aspiring writers, focuses on shaping narrative ideas into structured, compelling stories.
The festival continues with Three Men, written and directed by Ankit Gor. A darkly comic and profoundly reflective piece, the play examines masculinity, emotional repression, and sibling tension as two estranged stepbrothers reunite following their father’s death. A female voiceover—framing the men as subjects of a wildlife documentary—adds satire and critical distance to exploring male vulnerability.
This year, Vasant also foregrounds powerful female narratives. Saumya Joshi’s
Ohh Womaniya…!—a solo performance by Jigna Vyas—is set on a Mumbai-bound train, where a seemingly ordinary conversation takes a chilling turn. Inspired by a story by Ismat Chughtai and a real-life incident, the piece is amplified by choreography rooted in Kalaripayattu, created by D. Padmakumar (Pappan Dance Company).
The festival concludes with Eklavya by Vipul Mehta, a timely and powerful drama about a cyber-security recruiter who discovers a self-taught coding prodigy from Dharavi. Grappling with addiction and a criminal past, the young man mirrors the mythological Eklavya in his pursuit of knowledge and recognition. The play delves into mentorship, rehabilitation, and the deep human need for redemption.
Vasant 2025 celebrates bold storytelling, experimental work, and cultural dialogue. It is an invitation to experience Gujarati theatre at its most dynamic and relevant. Join us at the NCPA from 25 to 27 April to witness the evolution of Gujarati theatre and its ever-resonant power to provoke, inspire, and move.
For press inquiries and media passes, please contact:
Kajal Gadhia – kajal@mindworkz.in / 9820296123
Vandana Punjabi – vandana@mindworkz.in / 8879507763
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