NSD's Bharat Rang Mahotsav from Feb 1-21

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 and continue till February 21. The inaugural ceremony will be held at Kamani Auditorium on February 1 at 5 p.m.

During the festival, theatre enthusiasts will be treated to an exciting mix of post-modern theatre that promises an indulging 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, including 10 foreign acts. 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 three 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 21 days.

The 90-minute opening act revolves around 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, Puducherry and Vellupuram in Tamil Nadu.

The festival this year will include plays in Hindi, English and other regional languages. The national capital will host 73 plays: 18 in Hindi, 11 in Bengali, six in Assamese, four in English, three in Manipuri , two each in Hindustani, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannad, Marathi, Odiya and one each in Bhojpuri, Maithili, Malwi/Rajasthani, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli, Awadhi, Tamil, Marathi/Konkani, multilingual and non-verbal.

Ten foreign plays from International productions will be from countries such as the US (2), Russia (2), Bangladesh (2), Sri Lanka (1), the Czech Republic (1) and Nepal (2).

Addressing the media, Suresh Sharma, Director In-charge, 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 Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre.

The World Theatre Forum and a national seminar on theatre will also be held as part of BRM 2020.

Besides the plays which will be staged every evening, the NSD campus will witness allied performances that 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 50 colleges 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 New Delhi (February 1-21), Shillong (February 4-10), Dehradun (February 6-12), Nagpur (February 9-15), Vellupuram and Puducherry (February 12-18).

( With inputs from IANS )