Time for a Break

Sanjna Kapoor,director of Prithvi Theatre,recently announced that they are in the process of assessing the status of the building at Prithvi Theatre. “As things stand now,repair and maintenance of the building needs immediate attention in November,as soon as the monsoon is over. What this means is that we will not be able to host Prithvi Theatre Festival this year. It also means that we have to put all our plans on hold till we have more clarity on the issue of the building and possible work required on it,” said Kapoor.

The Prithvi Theatre Festival was first held in 1983. It has since grown to become one of the biggest events on Mumbai’s cultural calendar. In the past,the theatre has hosted theme-based and personality-based festivals. But on most occasions,it has chosen to simply celebrate the theatre tradition of the city,country and even that of other nations.

The theatre — built by Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor — was inaugurated on November 5,1978.

Shaili Sathyu of the theatre group Gillo Gilhari,says,“The festival will be sorely missed.” However,she advises to look at the practical aspect of this decision. “In past decades,the physical limitation of this theatre space has been stretched beyond its size,” she adds. Working Title’s Jaimini Pathak agrees with Sathyu. He sees the renovation plan as a symbolic act of strengthening its activities. “It’s better that they take a break now,instead of suffering any significant damage.”