Chandigarh University’s five-day Dastak Theatre Festival concludes with ‘Pati Gaye Re Kathiawar’
Satirical romantic comedy featuring Rajinder Sharma and Ajit Chowdhury brings festival to a close; students showcase talent in theatre and performing arts
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, October 26, 2026: Chandigarh University’s five-day annual Dastak Theatre Festival 2026 concluded with the presentation of the satirical romantic comedy Pati Gaye Re Kathiawar, offering audiences a blend of humour, wit and social commentary.
Written by Sudhir B. Kulkarni and directed by Ajit Chowdhury, the play featured actor Rajinder Sharma, popularly known as Nanu, who has appeared in films such as PK and Love Aaj Kal, alongside Chowdhury and other performers. Actor Mukesh Rishi also attended the concluding performance.
The play explored the misunderstandings, emotional tensions and complexities of marital relationships after a husband leaves for Kathiawar. Its relatable situations and comic narrative provided an entertaining conclusion to the festival.
The preceding day featured Bunkar, a Hindi theatrical production conceived, directed and performed by Danish Iqbal alongside Anamika Sagar. The production brought together two stories: Hero: Ek Love Story, written by Ravi Buleiy, about a romantic dreamer whose life is disrupted by a startling revelation, and Cycle Kahani, written by Kunal Singh, which explored childhood memories, friendship, love and the bittersweet transitions of life.
The festival also featured performances by established theatre and film personalities, including Rakesh Bedi, Jatin Sarna, Paritosh Tripathi, Sugandha Srivastava, Juhi Babbar Soni and other artists.
Among the productions staged during the festival were Ek Lamha Zindagi: A Love Story 1938–1979, directed by Makarand Deshpande and Juhi Babbar Soni; Aankh Micholi, written by C.P. Deshpande and directed by Vikas Bahari; Rakesh Bedi’s solo monologue Massage; and Kaju Katli, a one-act play presented by Chandigarh University students that has received recognition at regional and national theatre festivals.
Alongside the professional productions, the festival provided students with a platform to showcase their creativity through mono acting, mimicry, street plays, short films, stand-up comedy and fancy dress competitions.
Puneet Kamal Kaur was adjudged Best Actress, while Pratham won the Best Actor award.
In the fancy dress competition, Harleen Kaur secured first place, followed by Amiteshwar and Puneet. Abhinav won the stand-up comedy competition, while Navreen Kaur and Dhruv secured second and third positions, respectively.
In mimicry, Pratham won first place, followed by Chahat and Hargun. The Pade Likhe Unpad Group, led by Vishal, won the street play competition. The Atrangi Group, led by Ansh, secured second place, while the Albadi Group, led by Ashutosh, finished third.
Ishani won the mono acting competition, with Mandeep Kaur and Raghav Gupta taking second and third positions. In the short film category, Rohit Jandial and his team secured first place, followed by Ankit Kumar and his team, while Garish and his team finished third.
The festival was attended by several personalities from the entertainment and media industries, including Rabindra Narayan, founder, managing director and president of GTC Network; Juhi Babbar Soni; Punjabi film actor Malkit Rauni; Nikhil Mishra, senior vice-president and head of programming at GTC; Sandeep Bansal, founder and managing director of Chaupal; singer Aman Jaji; actor Shishir Sharma; and film producer and lyricist Bunty Bains.
The five-day festival brought together theatre performances, comedy, student competitions and cinematic storytelling, highlighting the role of live performance in exploring relationships, social expectations and everyday experiences.