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Curtain up in Bengaluru as theatre takes centre stage again
MUMBAI: The house lights dimmed, the applause swelled and Bengaluru proved, once again, that theatre still knows how to steal the show. The second edition of the Bengaluru Theatre Festival wrapped up with ringing acclaim, turning December 5 to 7 into three days of sold out halls, sharp storytelling and star turns that kept audiences leaning forward in their seats.
Staged across two of the city’s most respected venues, Good Shepherd Auditorium and the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts, BTF Season 2 brought six plays to the city, blending wit, philosophy, satire and introspection. Building on the momentum of its debut edition, the festival leaned confidently into scale, craft and recognisable names from Indian theatre and cinema.
The opening act set the tone. Lillete Dubey, Ira Dubey and Joy Sengupta kicked off the festival with Vodka & No Tonic, a clever, conversational look at love, ageing and modern relationships that mixed humour with uncomfortable truths. From there, the programme moved seamlessly between genres and moods, keeping audiences guessing and engaged.
Rajat Kapoor’s Nothing Like Lear, featuring Vinay Pathak, offered a playful yet poignant riff on Shakespeare, blending laughter with quiet reflection. That introspection gave way to sharper satire in Dhumrapaan, where Kumud Mishra, Shubhrajyoti Barat and the ensemble unpacked the absurdities of urban corporate life, prompting laughs that lingered long after the curtain call.
At PCPA, the festival turned cerebral with Naseeruddin Shah’s Einstein, a performance that balanced intellectual brilliance with emotional vulnerability, bringing the famed physicist off the textbook page and onto the stage as a deeply human figure. The festival closed on an intimate note with Anupam Kher’s solo act Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, a reflective, humorous exploration of life’s unpredictability that struck a personal chord with many in the audience.
The Bengaluru Theatre Festival forms part of Alchemist Live’s wider theatre circuit, which also includes the Delhi Theatre Festival and the Hyderabad Theatre Festival. With packed houses across all three days and strong word of mouth following every performance, BTF Season 2 did more than entertain. It reaffirmed Bengaluru’s appetite for live performance and raised expectations for what the next curtain up moment might bring.
eNews
Swiggy sees record orders during India vs New Zealand T20 final
Chicken biryani tops match-day menu as fans order 7,500 times per minute at peak.
MUMBAI: India’s T20 final didn’t just break stumps, it broke Swiggy’s delivery records, proving cricket fans celebrate victories with plates, not just flags. Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, reported a sharp spike in food orders during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. On 8 March 2026, overall orders rose 23.2 per cent year-on-year compared with the same date in 2025, driven by fans turning living rooms into mini stadiums complete with match-day feasts.
Key highlights from the evening:
- Orders during peak match hours (7–10 pm) were 2.1 times higher than pre-match levels.
- The highest order rate hit 7,500 orders per minute at 19:45.
- Chicken biryani reigned supreme as the most-ordered dish, followed by masala dosa, chicken fried rice, garlic breadsticks and paneer butter masala.
While metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad led volumes, the cricketing fever spread nationwide. Among emerging cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Rajkot recorded the strongest order growth. Smaller markets including Shillong, Agartala and Port Blair also showed significant appetite, underlining the expanding footprint of quick-commerce food delivery across India.
The surge reflects a growing trend of pairing major sporting events with doorstep delivery, turning big matches into shared, convenient celebrations. In a night where every boundary mattered, Swiggy proved the real MVP might just be the delivery partner who kept the snacks and the vibes flowing without missing a single wicket.
