Urban theatre audiences dipping their toes in regional waters usually draw their proverbial line at plays set in Hinglish. Marathi theatre, in the absence of such a hybrid tongue, has remained somewhat of a mystery to those unfamiliar with the language. A theatre festival titled Pratibimb will bring handpicked Marathi plays out of the ‘natyagruhas’ scattered in the city to the global stage at the National Centre For Performing Arts today.

Rajeshri Shinde, festival director, believes the festival is a revival rather than a fresh introduction. “In the 1980s and ‘90s, NCPA would regularly host Marathi plays written by stalwarts such as PL Deshpande, who would frequent the stages here. Slowly, the shows moved out to close-knit hubs elsewhere,” she recalls.