Bhavai of Gujarat: Traditional Theatre of India
(138 min; 2025; English)
Directed by Dr. Svetlana Ryzhakova who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Ryzhakova, leading research fellow in the Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow. She is a life member of the Indian Anthropological Society and a member of European Association of Social Anthropologists

Bhavai is one of the traditional folk theatres of India, performed in rural areas of northern and central Gujarat by troupes of artistes who belong to the Targala community. This ethnographic documentary is based on Dr. Ryzhakova’s long term research and field material collected from 2014 to 2023 in the villages and cities of Gujarat. The film is richly illustrated with interviews, conversations, songs and dance that make this documentary a unique tapestry of Bhavai theatre

(Collaboration: Russian House of Culture)