Why you should watch Virasat, staging in Sunder Nursery this September

The theatre scene in Delhi is hardly ever dead. Watching a play here is as easy as catching a film. Adding to the buzz is something special inside Sunder Nursery this August. Virasat, a hyperrealist staging of Mahesh Elkunchwar's iconic Wada trilogy, is Delhi's big-ticket theatrical release this month. Move over, tortured antiheroes and cinematic saviours. The lead role is of none other than time itself.

Directed by Anuradha Kapur and presented by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), the production traces the rise and gradual unravelling of the Deshpande family of Dharangaon across multiple generations.

What's Virasat about?

At its heart, Virasat follows a once-thriving household struggling to keep pace with a country that's changing faster than it can keep up with. Widely regarded as one of India's most important playwrights, Mahesh Elkunchwar documents this slow collapse with remarkable restraint.

Don't expect dramatic entrances, thunderous speeches or a plain redemption arc. There are just ordinary people going about their daily routines, cooking and cleaning. But if you must make a theme exercise out of it, consider these: memory, inheritance and life in its most uncomfortable avatar.

Created in collaboration with scenographer and theatre-maker Deepan Sivaraman, the production stitches together three celebrated plays into one sprawling performance.

At the centre of it all sits a pond...perhaps the most passive-aggressive character in the entire production. It is used as a metaphor for stagnation.

What's the seating at Sunder Nursery like?

Forget sitting at a comfortable distance from the stage. Virasat embraces an arena-style setup, pulling audiences directly into the action. 

And the soundtrack?

It's a layered mixtape of Hindustani classical music, Marathi folk traditions, popular songs, radio broadcasts and regional performance practices. The result is an immersive sonic landscape where one family's intimate story suddenly feels universal.

The details

When: September 24–27

Where: Sunder Nursery, New Delhi (with previews at Black Box Okhla)

Tickets: ₹400 onwards