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The performances will be in Assamese but language,Lahkar says,will hardly be a barrier. After all,Kahinoor’s adaptation of Titanic in 1998 had attracted attention from the world over. “It helped promote the concept of mobile theatre,which is restricted only to a few parts of India,” he recalls,adding how he has also worked on adaptations of foreign works,apart from those from Assamese literature and a vast repertoire of original screenplays. Cleopatra was presented in 1982,followed by Ben Hur,Hamlet,Othello,Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Jurassic Park. “Not everyone in Assam is familiar with the original works. After watching the movie Titanic,someone came to me to tell that James Cameron had copied me,” laughs Lahkar.

Kahinoor’s performance in Delhi does not come with the usual fanfare that precedes its performances in Assam. There are no posters announcing their performances,but students of the National School of Drama (NSD) will be filming the shows. “This is important for archival purpose. Mobile theatre is among the few local forms of theatre that is still popular,” says NSD professor Sudhir Kulkarni.

Meanwhile,an exhibition of old posters,props and costumes will give the uninitiated a brief history of mobile theatre,from the Nataraj Theatre in 1963 to the present day. “We managed to more than survive. Mobile theatre has continued as a profitable industry,” says Lahkar. With the route of the Capital charted now,more visits might follow.

The performances will take place at IGNCA from April 25 to 28. Entry is free.