Chandni Raatein is a story that spans four nights under a twilight sky where the sun never fully sets. It is a story of love, longing, and the delicate threads that bind people together.
A man haunted by loneliness meets a woman waiting for a love that may never return. Their connection deepens. Hope springs. And the possibility of heartbreak rears its head for both of them. Shifting perspectives, the story is seen through the eyes of a dreamer, a lover and a silent observer, revealing the complex layers of desire, vulnerability and fate. Told with a fusion of Indian Classical Music and Eastern European sounds, dance and Hindi poetry woven across a century into its storytelling style, Chandni Raatein explores whether love alone can illuminate the darkness…
Or if some endings are inevitable!
Writer and Director
Purva Naresh is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed Indian playwright, writer, and director with over two decades of experience across theatre, film, and digital content. She has written more than fifteen plays and directed seven, with her music-integrated productions such as Aaj Rang Hai, Bandish 20–20000 Hz, Ladies Sangeet, and Roshe Roshe performed at major Indian theatre festivals and to packed audiences at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.
She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, the Safdar Hashmi Award for Theatre Direction, and the Ladli Media Award (UNFPA supported) for Best Play on Gender Sensitization. Internationally, she has been invited to write and collaborate with prestigious institutions including The Royal Court Theatre (London), The Curve Theatre (Leicester), Melbourne Centre for the Arts, and Bakehouse Theatre (Sydney).
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Purva has been nominated twice for the Filmfare Awards for Hasee Toh Phasee and The Broken News. She has worked closely with Rohan Sippy on projects including Dum Maaro Dum, Criminal Justice Season 3, Mithya Season 1, and the BBC’s Indian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Her film collaborations include work with Rakesh Roshan (Krrish 2 & 3), Anurag Basu (Tagore Stories), and Ashwni Dhir (Jio Studios projects).
She has also directed award-winning short films such as Portal (produced by Deepak Nayar) and previously served as Head of Production at Reliance Motion Pictures. A trained Kathak dancer, Pakhawaj player, and percussionist with a Master’s in Percussion, Purva continues to work actively across theatre, film, and streaming as a writer and director.
Director’s Note
Chaandni Raatein the play explores loneliness, love and longing visually through the set blocking and lighting. The musical tries to infuse Indian elements while telling this very Russian tale. The Set and Costumes stick to being true to the Russian elements as much as possible because in the story, the city of St. Petersburg is quite vibrant a character. Just as nights merge into dawn during the White Nights in St. Petersburg, the play does not use black outs for transitions. Scenes segue from one into the other.
The adaptation tries to explore the concept of love and what it does for mankind. It also tries to explore the question of who is a winner in love and who a loser… It is not a lover but love that completes us and makes us larger than life. it is not humans but humanity that stands tall against the times. The play is an ode to a classic with some contemporary touches and fusing Indian elements into a Russian tale.
Group
Aarambh Mumbai is a theatre group based out of Mumbai with a catalogue of five award winning plays developed in four years, since its inception. Aarambh is focused upon generating engaging and socially relevant content in Hindi and other Indian languages for various platforms of the entertainment sector with a special focus on theatre. We believe in entertainment with a conscience and are perpetually focused on bridging the seemingly wide gap between entertainment and issuebased storytelling. Our core expertise is to tell stories infused with music and dance.