Lavanyavati

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Lavanyavati

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Lavanyavati
Details
Ticket Price: ₹ 500
Genre:Drama, Folk Dance
Language:English, Marathi
Duration:90 minutes
Age:12+
Event Date & Time
Tue-25-Mar | 07:30 PM
2025-03-25 07:30 PM 2025-03-25 09:00 PM Asia/Kolkata Lavanyavati

Lavanyavati was conceptualised and designed by Savitri Medhatul.

Lavanyavati is a performance born from a collaboration with Lavani and Tamasha artists, tracing the vibrant journey of Lavani through the years. Rooted in Maharashtra’s rich folk tradition, Lavani has continuously evolved — shaped by shifting social, political, and cultural landscapes, as well as changing audience tastes. Not only has it endured, but it has flourished, becoming an integral part of contemporary cultural identity.

The performance follows Lavani’s path from its origins in the traditional forms of Tamasha and Sangeet Bari, once performed primarily in rural Maharashtra and smaller towns, to its dynamic presence in metro cities like Mumbai.

At the heart of this piece is an exploration of the word Lavanyavati — meaning "the one who performs Lavani." The performance embarks on a journey spanning from the early 1800s to the present day, viewing Lavani and Lavanyavati through the powerful lenses of legacy, gender, and modern feminism.

Crafted as a documentary theatre experience, the performance blends live Lavani songs with oral histories, archival materials like family photographs, video interviews, and contemporary collaborations — including works with Agents of Ishq and Paromita Vohra.

Lavanyavati was first commissioned by the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa and premiered there in December 2022 to widespread acclaim. Esteemed artists such as Shubha Mudgalji, Aneesh Pradhanji, and Geeta Chandranji were among the audience, contributing to the performance’s celebrated debut.

Since its opening, Lavanyavati has toured multiple cities, including performances at The Women’s Theatre Festival at NCPA in Mumbai, Feet On Earth Festival in Hyderabad, Kalarang Festival at Ravindra Bhavan in Margao, Remembering Veenapani Festival at Adishakti in Pondicherry, NMACC and Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.

These performances were attended by eminent personalities from the field of theatre, film, music and dance like Naseeruddin Shahji, Ratna Pathak Shahji, Jackie Shroffji, Ali Fazalji, Vijay Kenkreji, Shafad Khanji, and as mentioned earlier Shubha Mudgalji, Aneesh Pradhanji, Geeta Chandraji.

Kali Billi Productions (KBP) is a theatre company based in Mumbai. Savitri Medhatul the founder of Kali Billi Productions is researcher, theatre maker and a documentary filmmaker. Savitri has been collaborating with Lavani and Tamasha artists since 2005. Over the years KBP has produced a documentary film and a theatre production Sangeet Bari which ran successfully for seven years. We also produced a Lavani performance 'Lavani Queens' in 2018 which was commissioned by Serendipity festival.

 Bangalore Jagriti Theatre vtmani@dnm.in false MM/DD/YYYY

Lavanyavati was conceptualised and designed by Savitri Medhatul.

Lavanyavati is a performance born from a collaboration with Lavani and Tamasha artists, tracing the vibrant journey of Lavani through the years. Rooted in Maharashtra’s rich folk tradition, Lavani has continuously evolved — shaped by shifting social, political, and cultural landscapes, as well as changing audience tastes. Not only has it endured, but it has flourished, becoming an integral part of contemporary cultural identity.

The performance follows Lavani’s path from its origins in the traditional forms of Tamasha and Sangeet Bari, once performed primarily in rural Maharashtra and smaller towns, to its dynamic presence in metro cities like Mumbai.

At the heart of this piece is an exploration of the word Lavanyavati — meaning "the one who performs Lavani." The performance embarks on a journey spanning from the early 1800s to the present day, viewing Lavani and Lavanyavati through the powerful lenses of legacy, gender, and modern feminism.

Crafted as a documentary theatre experience, the performance blends live Lavani songs with oral histories, archival materials like family photographs, video interviews, and contemporary collaborations — including works with Agents of Ishq and Paromita Vohra.

Lavanyavati was first commissioned by the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa and premiered there in December 2022 to widespread acclaim. Esteemed artists such as Shubha Mudgalji, Aneesh Pradhanji, and Geeta Chandranji were among the audience, contributing to the performance’s celebrated debut.

Since its opening, Lavanyavati has toured multiple cities, including performances at The Women’s Theatre Festival at NCPA in Mumbai, Feet On Earth Festival in Hyderabad, Kalarang Festival at Ravindra Bhavan in Margao, Remembering Veenapani Festival at Adishakti in Pondicherry, NMACC and Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.

These performances were attended by eminent personalities from the field of theatre, film, music and dance like Naseeruddin Shahji, Ratna Pathak Shahji, Jackie Shroffji, Ali Fazalji, Vijay Kenkreji, Shafad Khanji, and as mentioned earlier Shubha Mudgalji, Aneesh Pradhanji, Geeta Chandraji.

Kali Billi Productions (KBP) is a theatre company based in Mumbai. Savitri Medhatul the founder of Kali Billi Productions is researcher, theatre maker and a documentary filmmaker. Savitri has been collaborating with Lavani and Tamasha artists since 2005. Over the years KBP has produced a documentary film and a theatre production Sangeet Bari which ran successfully for seven years. We also produced a Lavani performance 'Lavani Queens' in 2018 which was commissioned by Serendipity festival.

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