Balgandharva Rangmandir Set To Light Up With Aadyam’s Latest Play: A Cultural Weekend You Can’t Miss
Aadyam’s new play, The Horse, a political satire directed by Sunil Shanbag, is set to captivate Mumbai audiences at Balgandharva Rangmandir.
The atmosphere in Bandra’s lanes feels electric with excitement this week. Cafe conversations drift naturally toward curtain calls, and WhatsApp groups of regular theatregoers are aflutter with screenshots of booking confirmations. The reason: Balgandharva Rangmandir will raise its velvet drapes on a brand-new production from Aadyam Theatre, the Aditya Birla Group initiative that has steadily re-energised Mumbai’s stage ecology since 2015.
At the centre of this anticipation is The Horse, a scathing, laugh-out-loud political satire directed by the ever-inventive Sunil Shanbag. Bandra is known for new restaurant openings and film premieres. However, people are taking an interest in watching this play with a lot of positive reviews.
Inside The Horse
Adapted from Hungarian playwright Julius Hay’s 1962 farce, this version thrusts us into a tavern in ancient Rome on a night when games of chance spiral into an outrage. Caligula’s caprice collides with a desperate gambler who wagers his dapple-grey horse, triggering a chain reaction that questions who, or what, deserves a senate seat.
Shanbag retains Hay’s absurdism while layering contemporary Indian inflexions: a live sound-scape that toggles between Roman fanfare and street-band brass, modular set pieces that morph from tavern to imperial court, and choric interludes that echo protest slogans of our decade.
Thematically, the play probes identity under surveillance, the seductions of populism and the thin line between spectacle and governance. Expect horseplay of the literal kind, but also a sly mirror held to our current news cycle.
Sunil Shanbag: A Director Who Wields History
Shanbag’s four-decade résumé, stretching from Cotton 56, Polyester 84 to last year’s revival of Utpal Dutt’s Barricade, marks him as a director who reanimates history to interrogate the present. Minimalist staging married to muscular text remains his signature, yet each project expands his toolkit. Speaking during rehearsals, he noted that the long-gestating dream to mount The Horse finally found its moment because “authoritarian absurdity has become frighteningly recognisable”.
Aadyam’s Eighth Season Moment
Since 2015, Aadyam has bankrolled over 25 productions, pairing corporate resources with artistic autonomy. The Horse anchors its 2025 slate, signalling a shift toward edgier political material without sacrificing broad appeal. For emerging theatre-makers, Aadyam’s model, covering rehearsal spaces, marketing muscle and touring logistics, is a starting point to learn.
Balgandharva Rangmandir: The Bandra Stage with a Past
Originally an open-air municipal theatre, the venue was reborn in 2016 after a protracted redevelopment partnership between BMC and the K Raheja Foundation. With acoustics that flatter both thundering musicals and whispered monologues, it has hosted a range of milestones:
Some of the popular plays staged at Balgandharva Rangmandir are Broken Images with Shabana Azmi; JAYA, a rock musical retelling of the Mahābhārata; Basuri Jab Gane Lagi, a tribute to Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia; Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical.
Beyond marquee shows, the Rangmandir remains a hub for Indian classical music and dance evenings and film festivals.
What the Weekend Promises
The foyer will likely buzz with an audience spanning corporate patrons in linen jackets and college students clutching concession tickets. Shanbag’s ensemble, veterans like Akash Khurana rubbing shoulders with first-timers, has hinted at surprise immersive moments that dissolve the boundary between stalls and stage. The baritone of live percussion rehearsing late into the night suggests a sound design meant to envelop, not merely accompany.
Closing
The Horse packs in all the elements required for an exciting, fun, and interesting watch. The political satire comes out as a true reflection of people’s desire for power, and their other schemes related to it. The Horse offers a nudge that combines historical farce with a contemporary sting, delivered by an artistic team that treats theatre as civic dialogue.
If whispers are accurate, Aadyam plans a short tour to Bengaluru and Delhi later this year, but theatre-goers can attend the premiere under Bandra’s monsoon-washed skyline.
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