The National School of Drama (NSD) will organise the 25th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) 2026 – the world’s largest international theatre festival – from January 27 to February 20, in its biggest and most inclusive format ever. Marking a major milestone, the festival will be held across 40 locations in India and will feature at least one production from a country in each of the seven continents, significantly expanding its global footprint.
BRM 2026 will showcase 277 Indian productions, including 136 selected and invited plays, along with 12 international productions. Performances will span an extraordinary 228 Indian and foreign languages and dialects, making it the largest theatre festival in the world in terms of linguistic diversity. The selected plays were chosen through a rigorous screening process from 817 national and 34 international applications. In addition, 19 university productions and 14 local productions will be staged at various centres.
Speaking on the occasion, NSD Vice Chairman Prof. Bharat Gupt said the festival represents the democratisation and universalisation of theatre in both intent and scale. He noted that Bharat Rang Mahotsav reflects India’s ethos of a shared creative continuum by bringing together diverse languages, genres and theatrical expressions from communities and age groups across the country and beyond.
The festival’s linguistic and cultural canvas has been significantly expanded this year, with performances in languages such as Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tulu, Urdu, Sanskrit, Tai Khamti and Nyishi, alongside almost all major Indian languages and several tribal and endangered tongues.
Several new centres have been added for the first time, including Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, Aizawl in Mizoram, Tura in Meghalaya, Nagaon in Assam, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and Rohtak in Haryana, extending the festival’s reach to some of the country’s most remote regions.
Describing the festival as a “Mahakumbh of theatre,” NSD Director Chittaranjan Tripathy said BRM 2026 is an all-inclusive, non-elitist platform where languages, regions, aesthetics and ideologies converge through diverse theatrical forms. He added that the festival’s presence in far-flung areas provides access to theatre where such opportunities are limited and offers visibility to underrepresented languages with rich oral and written traditions.
BRM 2026 will feature a wide range of curated and allied festivals, including Adirang Mahotsav focusing on tribal theatre, dance and crafts; Jashne Bachpan for children’s theatre; Bal Sangam showcasing folk dance and drama by children; Poorvottar Natya Samaroh highlighting North-Eastern theatre; as well as dedicated festivals for puppet theatre, dance drama, classical Sanskrit drama and micro drama.
For the first time, productions by transgender communities, sex workers, senior citizens and other underrepresented groups will be included, further strengthening the festival’s inclusive character.
The festival will also commemorate prominent 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 special seminar honouring legendary theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi will be organised at the NSD campus in Delhi. A unique theatrical performance written and performed by a cancer survivor and NSD alumnus will also be staged.
Alongside performances, the festival will host folk art presentations, street theatre, seminars, master classes and workshops. The Advitiya segment, led by the NSD Students’ Union, will organise interactive sessions and Nukkad Natak performances at the NSD campus.
Theatre Bazaar, a key feature of BRM 2026, will promote newly written plays, with selected works to be awarded and published. Under the ‘Shruti’ initiative, 17 books will be launched during the festival. Notably, 33 productions directed by women will be showcased, and special performances will pay tribute to freedom fighters, social reformers and eminent theatre exponents.
Adding to the cultural experience, special counters showcasing India’s diverse culinary traditions and traditional handicrafts will be set up at festival venues.
The grand scale of Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026 is being supported through collaborations with several national and international cultural and academic institutions. Indian partners include the Maithili-Bhojpuri Academy, Hindi Academy, Garhwali-Kumaoni-Jaunsari Academy and Urdu Academy of the Government of NCT of Delhi, while international collaborators include the National Polish Theatre Academy (Warsaw), the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (Madrid) and the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS (Moscow).
