Rangbhoomi Spaces in Hyderabad: Stage of toil and dreams

Ahead of its third anniversary Rangbhoomi Spaces in Hyderabad makes a mark as a vibrant cultural space. Jay Jha, one of the directors talks about the challenges and dreams.

“The countdown has begun,” exclaims theatre actor and director Jay Jha, referring to the month of festivities in December. He is set to marry fellow theatre personality Preksha Trivedi on December 8 and his dream venture, Rangbhoomi Spaces in Hyderabad completes three years next month. As one of the directors of Rangbhoomi — the other two being Sanjeev Acharya and Prashant Singh — Jai says, “It is a sacred and a holy space for theatre, arts, music and dance lovers. The stage doesn’t ask a person’s caste, money or fame. Everyone is welcome here.” While he is involved with the creative and artistic aspects of Rangbhoomi, his team, Preksha and Kajol Dubey, take care of the business and content; theatre group Storyboard Productions provides the technical support for sound and lighting.

Rangbhoomi opened its doors to the audience on December 20, 2020, with the play Ismat Ek Aurat presented by Sutradhar. The 35-year-old, also the founder of KissaGo theatre, wears many hats and dabbles in different mediums, theatre, films and commercials, including the Meesho commercial with Rashmika Mandanna. He quit his job at Deloitte to start Rangbhoomi, rejoined the same company to work for two years but finally quit the job this January.

Nervous about the sound and viewing experience of the inaugural show, Jai recalls wiping happy tears when it ended. “Rangbhoomi’s journey is like the crests and troughs of life,” he says. The idea, Jai says, germinated from ‘everybody’s favourite’, Lamakaan in Banjara Hills, where the noise from surroundings disturbed performers. that led to the creation of Rangbhoomi Spaces.

However, 2020 being pandemic-hit was not an ideal time to launch a venue for performing arts; so it led to financial hardships due to loans.

The city’s expansion in the west led to this cultural space — with its 140-seater stage and a small canteen — attracting cultural groups in the city and across the country, as well as the audience. “The line-ups are exciting and our ticketed weekend shows are full; we have music, dance and theatre shows in Telugu, English and Hindi,” enthuses Jai.

The venue buzzes on weekend, yet, some challenges remain. There is a gaping gap between income and expenditure and Jai reasons this is because they charge the same amount from participating troupes since its inception. “The expenditure with rent, staff salaries and maintenance exceeds our income here but we still continue because we want this space to be lively, a home for performing arts.”

Also, sharing premises with Hyderama Cafe and Bar on a busy main road poses a challenge in parking here. Jai adds, “We do not have state-of-the- art infrastructure; our equipment cannot match the expectation of troupes from other cities.”