Guwahati: Celebrated actor Abhishek Banerjee aka Jana his popular screen name from the film Stree franchise is making a much-anticipated return to his first love – theatre after a gap of two decades.
Before rising to prominence in Bollywood and carving a niche in the OTT space, Banerjee began his artistic journey with stage plays in Delhi.
Now, twenty years later, he is reuniting with his original theatre gang for a powerful mono satirical comedy, Tu Kya Hai, which will be staged this month at Mumbai’s iconic NCPA.
The play offers a biting satire on the lives of countless dreamers who leave behind the comfort of their homes to chase the elusive aspirations of becoming performance artists.
Their journeys are marked by moments of pain, absurdity, and struggle, blur the line between tragedy and comedy. Over time, these battles transform into anecdotes, as if life itself were a staged farce.
In this solo performance, Banerjee turns the spotlight inward, satirising his own journey and laying bare the fault lines of ambition, society, and self-worth with a mix of humour and unflinching honesty.
Tu Kya Hai unfolds in three evocative chapters: a typical middle-class Indian household that views art only as a hobby; the chaotic yet comical hustle of Mumbai’s entertainment industry; and the quiet, internal conflicts that echo in the stillness of night.
Speaking about his return to the stage, Banerjee said, “Theatre is where I learnt to breathe as an artist. It taught me rhythm, truth, and how to fail without fear. For the last 20 years, my journey has been about chasing roles, telling stories, and building a career in cinema but somewhere, the stage kept calling me back.”
And he added, “Tu Kya Hai is deeply personal because it holds up a mirror to my life and, in many ways, to anyone who has ever questioned themselves. It’s about that late-night whisper we all hear ‘Tu kya hai?’ when the lights are off, and the applause has faded. Coming back to the theatre to perform with my old theatre friends feels like closing a circle, or maybe starting a new one. This isn’t just a play for me it’s a homecoming.”