Kadambari: Tracing Fragments of a Shattered Muse

Kadambari: Tracing Fragments of a Shattered MuseFriday, 27th November, 7.30 p.m - 9.00 p.m.Language: Hindi, BengaliAbout the PerformanceKadambari is a lyrical theatrical journey into the silenced life of Kadambari Devi, Rabindranath Tagore’s critic, muse, companion, and sister-in-law, married into the Tagore household at nine and gone by 25, when the poet himself was only 23. Rather than reducing her to a footnote in his biography, the play seeks to restore her voice, weaving memory, fiction and imagination. It traces fragments of her existence beyond whispers of scandal and tragedy, asking how history chooses to remember or erase the women who stand behind celebrated men.Set during her final hours, the play imagines Death arriving to claim her. In this liminal space, Kadambari confronts Rabi with unresolved questions of love, freedom, and erasure. Their dialogue moves between the personal and the poetic, intertwining childhood memories, moments of intimacy, and echoes of Tagore’s fictional heroines who carry her shadow.Kadambari won the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) for Ipshita Chakraborty Singh at the 2026 Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META).CastKadambari: Ipshita Chakraborty SinghCharulata: Priyanka ChoudharyMrityu / Manda / Urmila: Mrunal WankhedeRabi: Hrishabh KantiAmal / Young Rabi: Aayush ThakarMrityu / Bhupati / Jyotirindranath Tagore: Abhijeet Vikram SinghCrewProduced by: Paradigm Shift ArtsWriter and Director : Meghna Roy ChoudhuryProducer: Aditya SantoshDramaturg: Abhishek MajumdarCreative Producer: Siddhesh PurkarSet Design: Ravi ChoudharyLight Design: Rahul JoglekarMusic: Aabha SoumitraCostume Design and Makeup: Ashish Hemant DeshpandeMusic Operation: Manas JoglekarLights Operation: Nimish KanitkarStage Managers : Harsh Bhosale, Mangesh Jahirao and Vishal WangekarVisual Design: Aakriti ChandervanshiAbout the ArtistsMeghna Roy ChoudhuryMeghna Roy Choudhury is a theatre director, playwright and actor trained at Drama School Mumbai. She holds a Master’s degree in Physics and has trained extensively in Bharatanatyam. Her practice brings together performance, autobiography, history and scientific inquiry to create contemporary theatrical work.She has also received the Tendulkar Dubey Fellowship (2025), and the Niloufer Sagar Alumni Production Grant (2024, 2025). Her recent productions include The Apology, Kheyechish? and Kadambari, which received multiple nominations at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) 2026. She is also the Project Lead and Curator for Third Bell, The Drama Library at Bhasha Centre, where she works on developing and commissioning contemporary Indian-language theatre. She is currently directing the play Enough by Stef Smith.Ipshita Chakraborty Singh A National School of Drama alumna and recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, Ipshita has performed in over 35 plays and also in films, including Bhonsle, Chhapaak and Sacred Games. She won the 2026 META Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Kadambari. She is also the recipient of the 2026 Shankar Nag Theatre Award.Hrishabh Kanti A Drama School Mumbai graduate and Inlaks Merit Scholar, Hrishabh has worked across theatre and performance in productions including Greatest Show On Earth, Golden Jubilee, Tumhaare Baare Mein and Barricade. His performance as Rabi in Kadambari was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the META Awards.Priyanka Choudhary A theatre artist with a Master’s in Theatre from Pondicherry University, Priyanka has performed in Tumhare Baare Mein, It’s a Wonderful Life and Janpad Bijnor. She has also worked in production and sound, including on Sunil Shanbag’s Barricade.Mrunal Wankhede A highly trained theatre actor and creator, Mrunal is an alumna of the National School of Drama, New Delhi. Her practice focuses on physical storytelling and versatile stage performance, and she actively collaborates on independent productions and classical ensemble works.Aayush Thakur An actor trained in realistic and psycho-physical theatre, Aayush has worked extensively in Delhi’s theatre circuit and is also trained in Seraikela Chhau. He was part of the cast of Be-loved, directed by Sapan Saran, which was nominated at the META Awards.Abhijeet Vikram SinghA Drama School Mumbai alumnus with a Law degree from Delhi University, Abhijeet has worked with directors including Sunil Shanbag, Manav Kaul, Yuki Ellias and Ishwar Shunya. His theatre credits include Chuhal and Giving Up on Godot.Photo Credits: Siddharth SaurabhAbout the FestivalPLAYINTERPLAY is a theatre festival with a difference. It celebrates 50 years of the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, bringing together its theatre awardees and scholars to show their work, share their experiences, skills and learnings, and converse on matters of common interest.PLAYINTERPLAY presents plays that are new to Bengaluru. What is different, however, is that it looks back as well as forward, featuring a work of theatre that has been specially revived for the festival and readings of plays that are still to become the finished article.PLAYINTERPLAY does more: it forges connections between its constituent parts — performances, workshops, conversations and experience sharing — emphasising the interplay between thought, learning and practice.See the plays! Apply for the workshops! Join the conversations! Soak in the magic of theatre.About the Artistic DirectorAnmol Vellani is the founder and former executive director of India Foundation for the Arts, the first independent philanthropic organisation in India devoted exclusively to supporting the arts. He is also the co-founder of Toto Funds the Arts, which nurtures, encourages and rewards new voices and emerging talent in the arts.Anmol did not, however, aspire to become a professional in the field of philanthropy. His early fascination was with the arts, especially theatre and music, and also philosophy, which he studied at the Universities of Poona, Oxford and Cambridge. He taught ethics, logic and the history of philosophy at Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in the 1970s,His writing and talks — on arts entrepreneurship, the creative economy, cultural policy, the role of grant-making foundations, culture and development, arts collaboration and the performing arts, for example — have reflected on the insights he has gleaned from his long engagement with the arts and philanthropy.Anmol has been associated with nearly 50 plays as a director, designer or actor. He has directed theatre productions in different languages and cities. His last two plays — Innocence (2024) and Apne Ghar Jaisa (2022) — have been lauded for their sharp and critical look at contemporary social and political realities in India.