Aadyam Theatre, since its inception, has been synonymous with theatrical excellence in India. A pioneering theatre initiative by the Aditya Birla Group, it is back for its eighth season with renewed vigour, great storytelling, and remarkable performances across Mumbai and Delhi. The new season begins on an exciting note with its very first play, Ankahi, debuting in Delhi. Not just that, but it also explores a genre that has never been attempted before under the Aadyam initiative – the supernatural thriller. Aadyam Theatre is all set to deliver scale, ambition and theatrics to a live stage at Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium on 28th and 29th March 2026.
Vikranth Pawar
Gopal Dutt & Rohit Chaudary
Ankahi, directed by Vikranth Pawar, is the Hindi adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic horror story The Woman In Black. It was originally adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt and went on to become one of the longest-running productions in the West End. Ankahi is the chilling tale of Sandeepan Chauhan, a middle-aged lawyer, who is afflicted with a haunting secret from his past. Unable to find words to unburden himself from this truth, he resorts to a young, skeptical actor to turn his tryst with horror into a staged performance. As the performance takes shape, the audience gets immersed in Chauhan’s past, where a simple, legal matter to settle the estate of a deceased woman, Fatima Ilyas, turns into a nightmare.
As the story unfolds, the lines between reality and performance blur and Chauhan relives his terror while the young actor gets more and more involved in the story. This supernatural thriller navigates themes of truth and grief, while exploring the question – Does facing our darkest truths guide us towards light, or does it pull us even deeper into the darkness?
The cast includes Rohit Chaudhary (Bareilly ki Barfi, Jabariya Jodi, The Forgotten Army) as the young actor, and Gopal Datt (Tere Naam, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Delhi Crime) portrays Sandeepan Chauhan. Vikranth Pawar takes the wheel as the director of this psychological thriller. Before his Aadyam debut, Vikranth directed the classic fairy tale Beauty And The Beast, bringing the Disney Broadway-style musical to India for the first time.
Vikranth Pawar, Director of Ankahi, said, “Ankahi – The untold story of The Woman in Black is 90 minutes of pure drama and thrill on stage. This genre of supernatural thriller is a whole different experience in the live medium of theatre. The scares are that much more real; the spook is that much more eerie and the drama is that much more tense. The play is truly what theatre has to offer in its raw and unbound form where the Ankahi story of The Woman in Black doesn’t just unfold on stage, it does even in your imagination.”
For the latest installment of Aadyam Theatre, Artistic Directors Nadir Khan and Akarsh Khurana were joined by Shernaz Patel and Ipshita Singh Chakraborty to shoulder the monumental task of curating the plays for the season.
Nadir Khan, Artistic Director of Aadyam Theatre, shared his thoughts, saying, “I’m very pleased to extend my association as Artistic Director for another season of Aadyam Theatre. Aadyam continues to be an extremely valuable part of our theatrical landscape and the continued commitment and support by Mr. Birla and the Aditya Birla Group to facilitate this wonderful opportunity for theatre practitioners and audiences alike, cannot be underestimated.
The programming for the new season was conducted by a curation panel and received over 50 proposals from across the country, in a very short period of time. We are consistently encouraged by the theatre community’s enthusiasm and support for this very important initiative.
Our first production is a supernatural thriller directed by Vikranth Pawar – Ankahi. With Vikranth’s experience of creating large scale and immersive productions, this promises to be a very exciting and innovative start to this season of Aadyam Theatre.”
Talking about his experience through the years, Akarsh Khurana, Artistic Director of Aadyam Theatre added, “I’ve been involved with Aadyam since the beginning in some capacity or the other. I have written, directed, and produced plays across seven seasons. I’ve also been an audience member, lighting operator, and podcast host, on occasion. This is the first time on the other side, where I get to be involved more intrinsically – selecting the plays, guiding the theatre makers and facilitating all the exciting off stage initiatives. Aadyam has been a wonderfully encouraging platform for Indian theatre, and it is quite a privilege to be able to represent it. We’re starting the latest iteration with a new genre. Ankahi, an Indian adaptation of the frightening classic The Woman in Black, is a psychological thriller with supernatural overtones, which promises to be an eerily immersive experience. And we can’t wait to see how audiences react to it.”
For more than a decade now, Aadyam Theatre has steadily built a body of work rooted in artistic intent – championing innovation, reimagining contemporary texts, and creating theatre that is both rigorous and relevant. Last season, the numbers spoke for themselves – a footfall of 25,000+ through the season, is testament to the fact that the Indian audience is hungry for fresh and genuine storytelling. With luminaries like Sunil Shanbag, Atul Kumar, Nadir Khan and Purva Naresh lending their creative direction and actors such as Kumud Mishra, Akash Khurana, and Girija Oak Godbole owning the stage, it boasts a roster of some of Indian theatre’s finest talents. But what makes this endeavour truly stand out is its commitment to nurturing emerging voices and stories from across the country. Aadyam Theatre will continue this enduring legacy while experimenting with uncharted territory – quite literally, as the first play of the season delves into the supernatural space for the first time.
Book your tickets on BookMyShow right away to be a part of the thrill.
