25th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026 to be held in its largest-ever edition across 40 Locations Nationwide and one country each in 7 continents
● 136 Indian and 12 Foreign Plays Encompassing Performances in 228 Languages and Dialects 277
● Theatre Bazaar Segment to Promote and Honour New Playwrights; 17 Books to be launched under Shruti; 33 Productions by Women Directors to be featured
● Special Performances Paying Tribute to Freedom Fighters, Social Reformers, and Theatre Exponents
22 January 2026, New Delhi: The 25th edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) 2026, the world’s largest international theatre festival organized by the National School of Drama (NSD), will be presented this year on an unprecedented and grand scale from 27 January to 20 February 2026, marking a significant milestone in the festival’s history.
A total of 277 Indian productions, including 136 selected plays and the remaining invited productions, along with 12 international productions, are scheduled to be staged across 40 centres nationwide, encompassing performances in 228 languages and dialects. The selected plays are the outcome of a rigorous screening of 817 national and 34 international applications from various theatre groups. In addition, the festival will present 19 university productions and 14 local productions.
Alongside the performances across India, BRM 2026 will feature at least one production from each continent, reinforcing its global outreach.The extensive inclusion of languages and the wide reach of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026 position it as the world’s largest theatre festival in terms of linguistic diversity.
Speaking on this year’s BRM festival, Prof. Bharat Gupt, Vice Chairman, NSD, said: “The Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026 stands as an epitome of the democratisation and universalisation of theatre — not only in its intent but also in its scale, the inclusion of numerous Indian and foreign languages, diverse genres, and theatrical expressions from different communities and age groups. It truly embodies the Indian ethos of a shared creative continuum, rather than a monolithic cultural narrative.”
This year, BRM has expanded its linguistic canvas with the inclusion of Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tulu, Urdu, Sanskrit, Tai Khamti, and Nyishi, alongside almost all major Indian languages and several tribal and endangered languages. Marking a significant expansion of its national footprint, several new centres have been added to the festival for the first time, including Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Aizawl (Mizoram), Tura (Meghalaya), Nagaon (Assam), Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), and Rohtak (Haryana).
Summarising the tone of the festival, Shri Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, NSD, stated: “If I were to speak about the 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the first phrase that comes to mind is a Mahakumbh of theatre—of the people, by the people and for the people—an all-inclusive, non-elitist international theatre festival. Here, one witnesses a vast confluence of languages, regions, aesthetics, and ideologies — all converging through varied forms and genres of theatre. From classical to avant-garde, from musical and physical theatre to folk traditions, the festival brings together practices from across ages and sensibilities.”
“Moreover, it gives me immense pleasure that we are organising this theatre festival in some of the farthest Indian cities from the National Capital — places where people have very limited, or in some cases no access at all, to theatre. It is also a matter of great pride for the National School of Drama to offer a platform to some of those underrepresented languages in the country, which possess their own rich oral and written cultural heritage,” Shri Tripathy, Director, NSD, further mentioned.
The 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav will feature a wide range of curated and allied theatre festivals, including Adirang Mahotsav (tribal theatre, dance and crafts), Jashne Bachpan (children’s theatre festival), Bal Sangam (folk dance and drama by children), Poorvottar Natya Samaroh (theatre from the North-Eastern region), Puppet Theatre Festival, Dance Drama Festival, Classical Drama Festival featuring Sanskrit plays, and the Micro Drama Festival showcasing short-format productions. For the first time, theatre productions by transgender communities, sex workers, senior citizens, and other underrepresented social groups will be presented.
The festival also commemorates eminent historical figures such as Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Lok Mata Ahilya Bai, and Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, while paying tribute to theatre stalwarts Ratan Thiyam, Daya Prakash Sinha, Bansi Kaul, and Alok Chatterjee. A specially curated seminar honouring Ebrahim Alkazi is scheduled at the NSD Delhi campus during the festival. In addition, the festival will present a special theatrical performance written and performed by a cancer survivor and an NSD alumnus.
Folk art performances from various Indian states and street theatre performances will form an expanded component of the festival, taking theatre into public spaces and engaging diverse audiences beyond conventional performance venues. In addition, the NSD Students’ Union–led Advitiya segment will organise a range of interactive and edutainment sessions, including Nukkad Natak performances by students from various universities, at the BRM epicentre at the NSD Delhi campus. Moreover, BRM 2026 will feature seminars, master classes, and workshops for both emerging and established theatre practitioners.
The festival will also include the Theatre Bazar segment, inviting newly written plays, with the best work to be awarded and published. Under the Shruti initiative, 17 newly published books will be launched. Notably, 33 productions directed by women will be featured as part of BRM 2026. Special performances paying tribute to freedom fighters, social reformers, and eminent theatre exponents will also be presented.
Bharat Rang Mahotsav will also feature special counters highlighting India’s diverse culinary traditions, along with initiatives promoting traditional handicrafts.
The unprecedented scale of Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026 is supported through collaborations with leading national and international cultural and academic institutions. Key collaborators include the Maithili–Bhojpuri Academy, New Delhi; Hindi Academy, Government of NCT of Delhi; Garhwali–Kumaoni–Jaunsari Academy, Delhi; and the Urdu Academy, Government of NCT of Delhi. International collaborations include the National Polish Theatre Academy (Warsaw, Poland), the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (Madrid, Spain), and the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS (Moscow, Russia), along with support from several Indian States, national institutions, and international partners.
By Sunder
