By — Dilip Guha

Aadyam Theatre returned with Season 8 that year. For the first time, the season began in Delhi, with the premiere of Ankahi, Aadyam Theatre’s first foray into the supernatural thriller genre. The production took the stage at Kamani Auditorium on 28th and 29th March 2026, before travelling across cities as part of the season opening on a note that felt both ambitious and unexpected.

Directed by Vikranth Pawar, Ankahi was the Hindi adaptation of Susan Hill’s iconic The Woman in Black, originally adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt and known for its celebrated West End run.

For over a decade, Aadyam Theatre had steadily built a body of work rooted in artistic intent—championing innovation, reimagining contemporary texts, and creating theatre that was both rigorous and relevant. The previous season spoke volumes: a footfall of more than 25,000 testified to the Indian audience’s hunger for fresh and authentic storytelling. With luminaries such as Sunil Shanbag, Atul Kumar, Nadir Khan, and Purva Naresh shaping its creative vision, and actors like Kumud Mishra, Akash Khurana, and Girija Oak Godbole commanding the stage, the platform showcased some of Indian theatre’s finest talents. Yet what truly distinguished this endeavour was its unwavering commitment to nurturing emerging voices and stories from across the country. Season after season, Aadyam Theatre carried forward this legacy while boldly venturing into uncharted territory—most recently, with its first exploration of the supernatural on stage.

“Ankahi – The Untold Story of The Woman in Black” is a gripping 90-minute ride of drama and thrill on stage! This supernatural thriller comes alive in the raw, unbound medium of theatre, making scares feel real, the spook eerie, and drama intensely tense. The play’s brilliance lies in its ability to weave a haunting tale that unfolds not just on stage, but in one’s imagination, too! Kudos to the cast and the masterful design that brings this Ankahi story to life!

Ankahi -What made this exciting was the genre itself. Horror on stage was a completely different experience; there were no cuts or background scores, just tension unfolding in real time. Ankahi leaned into that immediacy, blurring the line between performance and reality as a lawyer confronted a haunting truth from his past through a play-within-a-play.

The play 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.

The cast’s performance was phenomenal, bringing depth and intensity to their roles, perfectly capturing the essence of the haunting tale. Their acting elevated the spooky atmosphere, making the experience even more immersive and chilling.

The performances of the actors were truly captivating! Sandeepan Chauhan’s portrayal of the middle-aged lawyer was hauntingly intense, conveying the weight of his haunting secret through subtle yet powerful expressions. His character’s desperation to unburden himself was palpable, drawing the audience in.

The young actor’s performance was equally impressive, skillfully navigating the blurred lines between reality and the staged performance. As he got more entangled in Chauhan’s past, his scepticism gave way to fear, mirroring the audience’s growing unease.

The chemistry between the two actors was electric, making the unfolding nightmare feel eerily real. The way they led the audience through the labyrinth of Chauhan’s past, blurring reality and performance, was masterful.

Though the design of the production and talented cast make admirable attempts to instil the aura of fear and foreboding required of the genre, the director was able to marshal these elements to create a story that is mysterious and thrilling against the backdrop of Sundarban, West Bengal.

The lighting often casts shadows that dominate the actors on stage, making them seem small in comparison to the darker, unseen world. In one sequence with a lit candle, the shadows strikingly evoke a sense that the world of the play is indeed one in which apparitions exist just beyond what a person can perceive; the lighting was perfectly setting the eerie atmosphere and amplifying the tension! The stagecraft was equally impressive, seamlessly transporting the audience between the lawyer’s past and present, blurring reality and performance. The way the set design and lighting came together to create an immersive experience was truly remarkable!

The sound design is a crucial element that vividly brings to life the various places the characters visit, as well as the ghastly and horrifying terrors that are integral to this ghost story. 

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.

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.”

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 another. 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.”