The first edition of Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival organised by Mukesh Chhabra Casting Co. in Mumbai from January 13-15, concluded on a high note with a power-packed music performance by Ayushmann Khurrana.

The film fraternity came in full force to attend the Closing Day. Present were Anurag Kashyap, Nandita Das, Huma Qureshi, Abhishek Kapoor, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nikhil Advani, Goldie Behl, Elli Avram and the young heartthrobs, Vicky Kaushal and Sooraj Pancholi.

Ragini Khanna hosted the evening, which began with a soulful performance by Piyush Mishra who read poems from his latest book, ‘Kuch Ishq Kiya Kuch Kaam Kiya’ to a packed house. He dedicated a few lines to Anurag Kashyap, who was present in the audience. Later, the actor-lyricist-singer-poet enthralled the young audience with his popular songs.

Ram Ji Bali’s play Koi Baat Chale featuring Yashpal Sharma, Ritu Sharma, Ramji Bali and Tarun Bali was a huge hit among the audience and got a standing ovation. The well directed play which was the highlight of the evening, brought out the side of Yashpal Sharma as an actor that has never been seen in films.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Aditi Rao Hydari brought the gala event to a close by shutting the window of the festival and handing over the keys to the producer T.C. Chhabra. Mukesh Chhabra made a promise of continuing the theatre festival and opening new windows of opportunities in the coming years.
Chhabra thanked the film fraternity, his team, parters, and the audience for making the festival a huge success. He signed off saying, “I hope to keep doing the casting work and make some money, so that I can keep doing this festival every year.”

The first edition of the non-ticketed fest was held at Sathaye College, Mumbai from January 13-17, 2016.