Chitrangada Ek Sashakt Naari
Chitrangada-Ek Sashakt Naari returned to Mumbai for its third staging in six months, with producer Indrani Mukerjea presenting the trilogy of performances as part of a producer-led vision to reimagine Rabindranath Tagore and nurture new theatrical talent.
By popular demand, Chitrangada - Ek Sashakt Naari returned to a Mumbai stage for the third time in six months. On Sunday, November 30, Indrani Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea Enterprise (IME) presented the production at Rang Sharda Theatre, Bandra - a compact, intense evening designed to bring the production closer to the city's avid theatre-goers.
This run was as much about programming as it is was about performance. For Mukerjea - who leads IME as producer as well as performer - the repeat staging is part of a deliberate strategy: to create a living conversation around Tagore's work, to keep classical texts in public view, and to build a small but steady repertoire that can incubate emerging artists and future projects.
"Producing and performing are two sides of the same coin for me," said Mukerjea. "With IME I want to make theatre that asks questions, builds careers, and invites audiences back - not once, but again and again. Chitrangada still surprises us; it rewards close looking, and that's why we're bringing it back to Bandra."
Mukerjea remained the evening's central performer, inhabiting Chitrangada's difficult balance of strength and longing with a disciplined, quietly powerful presence. The production also featured Subrat Panda as Arjun - a young performer whose roots in regional theatre and Tagore's songs bring a grounded clarity to the role - and retained the creative leadership of director duo Tony and Madhumita Chakraborty.
This staging also served as a public preview of IME's wider creative arc. The company is currently developing Nayika Bhumika, a new project that adapts four of Tagore's short stories, slated to premiere in Mumbai in January 2026.
"The goal is to build a small repertory of Tagore-inspired works that speak to contemporary audiences while offering steady platforms for new actors, designers and composers," said Mukerjea.
