Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Rangakarmee Revives Ram Ki Ladai as Contemporary Political Theatre
Rangakarmee is preparing a new theatre show called Ram Ki Ladai.
The show will first be performed on August 30 at the Academy of Fine Arts.
It is based on a 1979 play by Laxminarayan Lal.
Instead of telling the Ramayana as a simple old story, it uses the story to talk about problems in society.
An ordinary man named Ramgulam is asked to play Ram in a village performance.
Some people doubt that he can do this because he comes from a lower caste.
The play has music, jokes, serious moments and 24 songs.
It asks whether anyone can stand for truth and goodness when society is unfair.
Rangakarmee will premiere Laxminarayan Lal’s Ram Ki Ladai on August 30 at the Academy of Fine Arts.
The 1979 musical reimagines the Ramayana as a critique of corruption, authoritarianism and social inequality.
The story follows Ramgulam, an ordinary lower-caste man chosen to represent Lord Ram in a village Ram Leela.
Anirudh Sarkar is directing the production, which features 24 songs and a team of 26 participants.
The production runs nearly two hours and required extensive work decoding its Awadhi, Braj Bhasa and Chaupai text.
- Who
- Rangakarmee, led by director Anirudh Sarkar, is staging Laxminarayan Lal’s play Ram Ki Ladai.
- What
- A musical theatre production reimagining the Ramayana as a modern socio-political allegory will premiere.
- When
- The premiere is scheduled for August 30; the year is not specified.
- Where
- The premiere will take place at the Academy of Fine Arts.
- Why
- The production explores truth, integrity, inequality, corruption, authoritarianism and moral decay through a contemporary adaptation of the Ramayana.
- Production
- Ram Ki Ladai
- Playwright
- Laxminarayan Lal
- Director
- Anirudh Sarkar
- Premiere
- August 30 at the Academy of Fine Arts
- Format
- Musical play-within-a-play
- Songs
- 24
- Running time
- Nearly two hours
- Cast and crew
- A team of 26 people