Prithvi Theatre Festival 2026: What's Still Left to Watch as Prithvi Turns 48
Two hundred seats, more or less. That is the size of the room that has shaped nearly half a century of Hindi, English, Marathi and Gujarati theatre in Mumbai. And today, 5 November, it turns 48, right in the middle of its own festival.
A birthday worth marking
Prithvi Theatre was inaugurated on 5 November 1978. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor, whose touring company, Prithvi Theatres, gave the building its name. The opening night featured Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, and there was no conventional ticketing: a box was passed around at the interval, and audiences paid whatever they could afford.
The principle survived the box. Prithvi has kept tickets modestly priced, seating first come, first served, and its calendar open to young groups who would struggle to book a bigger stage. In a city that charges for almost every cultural encounter, the arrangement remains quietly radical.
The festival so far
The Prithvi Theatre Festival 2026 opened on 1 November and runs until 16 November, across Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House in Juhu. Its biggest draw, Naseeruddin Shah's 27 Seconds, inspired by Salman Rushdie's memoir Knife, has already completed its run. If you missed it, the rest of the programme is still unusually wide.
What is still left to watch
Dated highlights
8 November: Manav Kaul's new Hindi play
12 November: Hamsa, directed by Rajit Kapur
13 November: Lillete Dubey's Partition family drama
15 November: Dastangoi, the Urdu art of storytelling
Across the festival
Phayul by Tibet Theatre, performed in Tibetan with English subtitles
Eka Natacha Mrutyu, Mahesh Elkunchwar's Marathi monologue, performed by Abhay Mahajan
The Crocodile, an absurdist comedy directed by Akarsh Khurana
Yo Brother, This Is 95, Swanand Kirkire's musical about 1990s India
Vattam by Mamangam Dance Company, rooted in chenda traditions
Six National Theatre Live screenings, including All My Sons with Bryan Cranston and The Audience with Helen Mirren
Three concerts, three workshops and Fringe shows
Workshops
Sessions are led by Ratna Pathak Shah, Makarand Deshpande and Kumud Mishra: three seasoned stage practitioners, and any one of them is worth an afternoon.
Exact timings and availability shift during the festival, so confirm on Prithvi Theatre's website or Instagram before you set out.
How to choose
If you have one evening, the dated Hindi premieres are the obvious pick, and they will sell quickly. If you want the festival's character rather than its headlines, choose the rarer forms: Tibetan-language theatre, a Marathi monologue by one of the language's major playwrights, or a dance work built on Kerala's chenda drumming. Those are the nights that only a festival can programme.
The NT Live screenings, meanwhile, are the most reliable option for anyone who prefers a known quantity, and the best way to see Cranston and Mirren on stage without a flight to London.
A final thought, on the anniversary
The Instagram post that prompted this piece ends by asking readers whether they would choose a play at Prithvi or a movie at a multiplex this weekend. It is a fair question. The answer the building has given for 48 years is that you should not have to choose on price. That is reason enough to go.
For other cultural plans this month, see our Avid Learning November calendar and the Make Mumbai Green Again initiative.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Prithvi Theatre Festival 2026?
It opened on 1 November and runs until 16 November 2026 at Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House, Juhu.
What plays are left at the Prithvi Festival 2026?
Highlights still to come include Manav Kaul's new Hindi play on 8 November, Hamsa directed by Rajit Kapur on 12 November, Lillete Dubey's Partition family drama on 13 November and Dastangoi on 15 November.
Is Naseeruddin Shah's 27 Seconds still running?
No. The play, inspired by Salman Rushdie's memoir Knife, has finished its festival run.
When did Prithvi Theatre open?
Prithvi Theatre was inaugurated on 5 November 1978. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal.
How do I book Prithvi Festival tickets?
Check Prithvi Theatre's website and Instagram for the schedule and bookings. Seating is first come, first served.
Kenneth Hopkins is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AltBollywood. Indofuturist, posthumanist and unapologetically Indocentric, he describes himself as an epimemeticist, a swaraji, a freakonomist, a lexicographer and a cartochronicler, mapping the ideas, words and quiet shifts that shape Indian entertainment. Follow him on Instagram at @kennethhopkins.
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