Ashok Saraf Sets ''Vidooshak'' Theme for ''Kalpana Ek Avishkar Anek'' 2025 : www.MumbaiTheatreGuide.com

Ashok Saraf Sets ''Vidooshak'' Theme for ''Kalpana Ek Avishkar Anek'' 2025

September 4, 2025 19:06:36 IST
MTG editorial

Astitva’s respected one-act play competition, instituted with support from the late Shri M. B. Yande, returns for its 39th year-marking the penultimate chapter of a storied legacy that will conclude in 2026.

“Kalpana Ek Avishkar Anek” has been a launchpad for generations of college, amateur and professional theatre artists across Maharashtra. As the event nears its final curtain, the 2025 edition arrives with a resonant brief from veteran actor and 2024 Padma Shri, Maharashtra Bhushan awardee, Shri Ashok Laxman Saraf, who serves as Conceptual Theme Setter.

This year’s theme draws on lines from acclaimed poet Mangesh Padgaonkar’s Vidooshak (The Clown):
विदूषक …
विदूषकी हा माझा धंदा आहे...
रुपया अगदी चोख आणि बंदा आहे...
एकदा मी वाचलं, तरण्यामागे बुडणं असतं,
अगदी तसंच हसण्यामागे दडलेलं रडणं असतं.
मिठाच्या पाण्यामध्ये भिजवलेला रुमाल मी, तेव्हापासून खिशामध्ये ठेवत असतो,
स्टेजवरून हसताना, हसवताना मधून डोळ्यांना लावत असतो ...

The selection invites playwrights and directors to probe the duality of performance-the laughter seen and the sorrow concealed - urging nuanced explorations of empathy, labour, and truth in the entertainer’s life. Organisers note that while the prompt is simple in form, it offers expansive dramatic possibilities; early social media reactions have welcomed the challenge as timely and profound.

Founded and run by Astitva, the competition has long been regarded as a prestigious milestone in the one-act theatre calendar. With 2025 confirmed as the “penultimate edition,” the grand finale is slated for 2026, closing a 40-year journey that has shaped talent and taste within Marathi theatre and beyond.

Key Dates & Venues (Mumbai, 2025)
• Preliminary Rounds: Saturday - Sunday, Sept 27 - 28, P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Multipurpose Hall 1 (4th Floor - Administrative Building).

• Final Round: Saturday, Oct 4, Yashwant Natya Mandir, Matunga (W).

• Deadline (Single & Final): Friday, Sept 26 for both application and one-act script. Forms will be available via Astitva’s social media or WhatsApp dispatch.

For further information, please contact Ravi Mishra at [email protected]

*Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule.

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