Prithvi Theatre Festival Opens in Mumbai With Louis Banks Tribute Concert

The annual Prithvi Theatre Festival opened on Sunday at Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai with an electrifying jazz performance titled 'Legacy of Louis Banks'. The event marked the beginning of the annual celebration of theatre and performing arts on Mumbai's cultural calendar, which will run through November 16.

The opening performance was led by drummer Gino Banks alongside his ensemble of accomplished musicians as a tribute to legendary jazz pianist and composer Louis Banks. The act presented a blend of jazz rhythms, improvisations, and soulful melodies. The ensemble featured musicians performing on the trumpet, saxophone, piano, keyboards, and guitars, anchored by Gino Banks' dynamic drumming.

Adding an Indian classical dimension to the jazz compositions, four vocalists performed sargams during the set. The presentation featured an interplay between instrumental solos and vocal harmonies across the opening night's musical arrangements.

Now entering its fifth decade, the festival traces its origins back more than 40 years. Speaking about the history of the event, Prithvi Theatre trustee Kunal Kapoor noted that the inaugural festival was held four decades ago. "Prithvi's first Festival was in November 1983, and since then the Prithvi Team has worked hard in keeping this tradition and annual event alive," Kapoor said.

The opening evening drew a prominent gathering from both theatre and cinema. Attendees included Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Sanah Kapur, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Manav Kaul, Neena Gupta, Soni Razdan, Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Lara Dutta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Samara Tijori.

Also present for the opening were Kausar Munir, Swanand Kirkire, Anup Soni, Juhi Babbar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Vivaan Shah, Heeba Shah, Rajit Kapur, Divya Dutta, Ali Fazal, Aanjjan Srivastav, Bhamini Oza, Sumeet Vyas, Ekta Kaul, Eden Kesang, Sheena Sippy, Dolly Thakore, Jaimini Pathak, Trishla Patel, and Nivedita Bhattacharya.