Ehsaaz Foundation, largely run by theatre practitioners under 30
Vikash Singh, 26, theatre actor, teacher and former student of Prof Raj Bisaria, says the idea was to make theatre more accessible. Marshal Khan with Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui during an ad shoot For Lucknow-born filmmaker and cinematographer Marshal Khan, 31, the journey began in 2010 with theatre group Darpan, where he worked alongside veterans such as Urmil Kumar Thapliyal and Dr Anil Rastogi.
Children enjoyed watching the theme-based production and the feel that theatre gives,” he says. That line which made it to every student’s reel on social media, ‘Hamara thokron se kuchh purana khaas naata hai’ was originally a heartbreak song, but it literally became the voice of the student movement,” he says. After his performance, Badshah, Indian rapper, told him, “You look like Lucknow. It should be rooted in where we come from, while still speaking the language of a new generation,” he says. We wrote and directed it ourselves and put it together without any funding,” says Aman adding how it is essential to experiment these days. Four house-full shows were a great push and showed us that Gen Z is willing to buy tickets when the experience speaks to them,” she says. The city is growing a lot in the space of films and cinema, and there is so much scope to create good work here, without people feeling they always have to leave the city or look outside for talent,” he says.
From English plays in art galleries and zero-budget indie films to BNA-trained actors making the leap to OTT and hip-hop bringing Lucknow’s literary voice into contemporary pop culture, young artists are finding new ways to carry the city’s artistic legacy forward. Influenced by veterans such as Padma Shri Prof Raj Bisaria and Padma Shri Dr Anil Rastogi, institutions like Bhartendu Natya Academy and Sangeet Natak Akademi, this generation is taking art beyond traditional stages, experimenting with new formats and creating experiences that bring younger audiences closer to the arts. From cafés and galleries to screens and contemporary music, the mediums may be changing but the love for art remains unmistakably Lucknawi. We spoke to Lucknow’s next Gen across theatre, direction, music and acting to see how they are carrying the city’s long-standing tryst with art forward. “We wanted to create opportunities for common people not just theatre regulars, to connect with the live performing arts. We also collaborated with different schools in the city, so the new generation can have a first-hand experience of watching theatre. Lucknow’s poetry has long found expression through shers and dastangoi. Lucknow-born musician, writer and rapper Anand, aka Farak, is bringing that literary tradition into hip-hop beats. His zero-budget indie track Taare, directed by fellow Lucknowite Saahil Agarwal, got millions of views among young listeners and later became the cover song of the Gen Z protests. “I strongly believe that the more personal you are, the more original your art becomes. Now part of MTV Hustle, hip-hop artist Faraq’s first performance, Likhta Hoon brought together the cadence of Lucknow’s poetry and minimal sonics. For Farak, the comment captured what he hopes to achieve through his music. “I want the way I look, write and sound, to speak about where I come from. I want the Lucknow hip-hop scene, which is still underrepresented, to be unapologetically cultural, but never feel forced. “The idea was inspired by my guru Raj Bisaria, who was among the first to stage English plays in the city. We realised that if we wanted young audiences to come back to theatre, we had to experiment with the format. Shubhra and I decided to do a play and I shared the script with her. We rehearsed in different cafés around the city before staging our first show. The approach soon took the duo beyond conventional auditoriums. In two months, they staged four sold-out shows across theatre halls, amphitheatres, cafés, a fine-dining restaurant and also at the Lucknow Museum of Art and Heritage. For RJ-turned-actor Shubhra Pandey, daughter of veteran actor Neetu Pandey, theatre has been part of life since childhood. “I grew up doing theatre workshops at Sangeet Natak Akademi and BNA. Lucknow has a rich theatre history and its veterans have worked hard to keep it alive. But I could sense the younger generation becoming disconnected from it. So we started doing shorter plays and reworked our stories so young audiences could relate to them. The duo has also consciously stayed away from the VIP and guest-list culture surrounding performances, choosing instead to create a space where younger audiences feel like they belong. He started as a production runner on Ishaqzaade before joining direction teams for projects including Physics Wallah, Ek Aur Devdas and Behen Hogi Teri. He is currently working on a biographical feature film on Indian educator E Balagurusamy as a creative producer. After working in Mumbai, he returned to his hometown to start his production company. “Having worked in Mumbai, I wanted to bring that scale and quality back to Lucknow.
For today’s generation, relatability plays an important role in connecting with art.
Known for his roles in Crushed, Yeh Meri Family and Dekha Dekhi, Singh says Lucknow was central to his entry into the industry. “Lucknow nahi hota toh journey start nahi hoti,” he says, recalling how a Lucknow-based casting director eventually connected him to Crushed, his first web series. We even recreated a Gully Boy video in Hazratganj and it went viral and drew a reaction from Ranveer Singh himself,” he says.
For Lucknowite Sachin Jeet Singh, the city’s love for art became the starting point for exploring different creative mediums of storytelling. “I’ve always loved filmmaking — making short films with friends, entering competitions, and attending Sangeet Natak Akademi workshops that helped me build strong connections.
