Why This Theatre Group is Looking at Mumbai’s Pride March with Hope

As Mumbai looks forward to the entire city turning Rainbow on January 31 at August Kranti Maidan with the Pride March, theatre director Nikhil Dixit is gearing up with a few pamphlets to not just participate in the Pride March to showcase his solidarity with the cause of the march, but to revive what has been stopped for more than three years now - for him, the march might determine the continuity of his theatre play.

With the 4 to 5 people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, those who have been working on a play called ‘L.G.B.T: Love Goes Beyond Terms’, Dixit, who has also written the play, says, “We need the support from the people belonging to the community to keep the show running.” 

Started in 2019, this play, which could host a few shows in Mumbai, had to be cancelled due to financial reasons. “We are restarting it. We want the community to actively participate in the show, and we hope for the shows to be financed only by the queer community,” he says.

As per a research paper titled, 'Economics of Theatre in Rural and Urban India', published in the Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, independent production costs for sets and technical aspects for smaller productions typically range from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 10,000 for a stage setup. 

Perhaps, this is the reason why the upcoming pride march in Mumbai seems important for the theatre director who has been running his production named Roobaru Roshni Theatre for the last seven years. “The timing aligns intentionally with Mumbai Queer Pride, as it amplifies the conversation and energy around inclusivity and identity,” he says as the play is scheduled for February 4 at Versova’s Rangshila theatre.

On the other hand, however, as per a report by the ticketing platform BookMyShow, it had highlighted how a strong post-pandemic recovery was observed for the live events in general. The same report had mentioned that more than 13.5 million people attended live events in 2023, which was an 82% increase from the previous year, and also stated that the growth was majorly observed in Tier-II cities like Surat, Jaipur, and Ranchi.

“The association (talking of the timing with Mumbai Queer Pride) has definitely helped as we have seen increased curiosity, conversations and positive response, which is reflecting in audience interest and bookings,” Dixit adds about his planning for the show. 

As per the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the organised live events sector in the country, which includes music, theatre, and comedy, was marked by a valuation of Rs. 20,861 crore in 2024, with a 15% year-on-year growth. 

Sufferings at the core 

The contemporary, immersive play by Dixit takes into account the daily dilemmas faced by people from the LGBTQIA+ community and their quiet struggles when intersects with the societal norms, even in a metropolitan city like Mumbai. 

One of the major issues that even the Mumbai Queer Pride Collective attempted to tackle through its events was the housing needs and the problems that the community faces — even the play aims to highlight the same. “The fear of coming out, the pressure to "fit in", the confusion between who you are and who society wants you to be, and the constant negotiation for acceptance — at home, at work and within oneself,” Dixit says, talking about the play. 

Historically, not just in Mumbai but in India, the non-commercial theatre and the small theatre companies have been credited for highligting societal issues ranging from agriculture, literacy, gender discrimination, and environmental degradation to more through different theatre forms.

The music has been an emotional bridge — sometimes celebratory, sometimes intimate, the director informs. “At its core, the play questions why identity needs permission and why love still comes with conditions.”

In a bid to keep it ‘authentic’ 

Dixit, while he does not belong to the queer community, has worked with a mix of actors and non-actors for the play. The 4-5 members from the community, who excel in their respective fields, as per him, are also the costume designers and a professional make-up artist.

He selected one of his cast from Juhu’s Prithvi theatre, who has been a constant part of the shows for the play. Recounting how the years have been, Ann Bhardwaj, who was initially a celebrity costume designer, says, “I would always call Nikhil to ask why we are not doing the shows. But there is a lot to look for in the production, and I am happy that we are reviving it,” Bhardwaj, 28, says.

Talking to Local Samosa, Urzaan Patel, a professional make-up artist for the last 8 years, who is acting in the play, says that he was “surprised” when approached by Dixit in the Covid years. “I thought he was asking me to work as a make-up artist, but he told me he wanted me to act,” he says. 

While Patel, 31, had already given a few auditions before, for a “straight macho man”, he specifically told him how that is not who he actually is. “He (Dixit) told me the theme of the play, and now theatre plays interest me.”

Even though neither of the actors is financially compensated for acting, specifically, they share with Local Samosa how the workshops and rehearsals with Nikhil have made them interested in the theatre. Patel even mentions that the compensations have been in other forms. “I have been approached by casting directors for TVCs and other ads,” he says, adding how he could never know that acting involves a lot of work on diction, voice modulation and other technicalities. 

Though not trained actors initially, they underwent structured acting workshops and training under the director and now perform primary roles in the play. “This makes the storytelling more authentic, grounded and lived-in rather than performative,” Dixit says.

Echoing the same sentiments, and with respect to the importance of the community’s representation in the stories meant about them, Patel says that it is important for a correct portrayal. “The people from the LGBTQIA+ community would have related more had the star cast in the Bollywood movies made on the community (referring to Badhai Do, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan) also belonged to the community,” he says. 

Along with these discourses, the actors and the director are now eyeing a continued show, which can be booked on platforms like BookMShow, and, for now, their hope lies with Mumbai's Pride March.