Ila Arun and KK Raina celebrate a decade of their Ibsen Festival

Updated On: 27 September, 2025 08:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar

Celebrating a decade of their Ibsen Festival this weekend, theatremakers Ila Arun and KK Raina talk about their encounter with the Norwegian playwright, the works, and its evolution through the decade

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Ila Arun and KK Raina share a moment of discussion

Ila Arun is busy giving out orders as we enter the Andheri studio. “Keep silent,” she quips. At first glance, it is easy to mistake her for the director of the play. But that role belongs to the unassuming KK Raina, who sits calmly reading a script on the ottoman. The urgency is understandable as the founding duo of Surnai Theatre and Folk Arts Foundation is prepping for the opening day of the 10th edition of their Ibsen Festival at Prithvi Theatre this weekend.

An unlikely duo

The cast is rehearsing Hardit Kaur Gill, an adaptation of Hedda Gabler, on the day we dropped by to their studio in Andheri. The ‘female Hamlet’ finds herself transported to an Indian metropolis, and is played by Dilnaz Irani. “Hedda has to be set in a metropolis where the independent young woman has everything in her hands, yet is lost. Not in a place like Jaipur or Agra where family is still the point of strength. The central focus is the notion of a family in a world of amorphous relationships,” she explains. “Hedda is a bit of all of us women. She is complex but relatable,” Irani adds.

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