Meta 2026

19th to 25th March 2026

Kamani Auditorium & Shri Ram Centre
New Delhi

2 Decades of META
Celebrating Indian Theatre In All Its Glory!

The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META), instituted by the Mahindra Group, is more than just an awards ceremony, growing into the most significant celebration of Indian theatre in all its glory over its two-decade journey.

In its 20 glorious years, META has represented plays and artists from every corner of the nation. It is with the same legacy of inclusivity and representation that META entered its 20th year with the shortlisted plays in 6 languages, including Hindi, English, Bundeli, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. META hosted over 156 artists in a grandiose festival celebrating their talents in multiple avenues of stagecraft, from phenomenal acting, elaborate set designs, myriad original scripts, and ravishing costume designs.

From script to stage, META recognises and honours the best of the best in every facet of Indian theatrical brilliance, from playwrights to performers, directors to designers. As we mark this special anniversary, META reaffirms its dedication to nurturing and promoting the diverse voices and talents that define Indian theatre.

Plays 2026

Coming Soon..

META Over the Years

1680

Theatre Productions

3800

Plays Submitted

4120

Artistes

States & Union Territories

What Theatre Veterans Say
About META

There is something about the adrenaline rush in a live performance that can make you do completely crazy thingsâ€¦ itâ€™s as if the character takes hold of you and pulls the strings.

- Shabana Aazmi

Actor

A good drama experience can feed a child's heart, causing him or her to dwell in the infinite realm of wonder.

- Sushma Seth

Everything is created through an actorâ€™s body, voice and gesture. Without an actor, there is no creation in theatre.

- Rajat Kapoor

Actor

What keeps META going is that it reaches the entire country and that it is an equal platform for everyone, whether you come from the absolute interiors to the high-end metro

- Shernaz Patel

I am so overwhelmed by the organisation and support for this kind of theatre. I wish it was there back when I had started theatre.

- Mohan Agashe

I think META is a wonderful festival. It seems to have a great network, as it continues to ferret out amazing directors working in the remotest parts of the country and brings them on the national stage.

- Neelam Mansingh

META is unique. It is one of those festivals which looks after their artists even after being on such a distinguished level.

- Piyush Mishra

META is an amazing platform. This is my third time on the Jury, and I am only here because of the standard of the plays. The first time I came here, I was going Gaga after seeing the quality of the productions.

- Kulbhushan Kharbanda

For me, META has been a very personal thing, right from the day it started. I love the organisation and I love the energy it brings, particularly for young people. I look forward to it year after year, and I am hoping that there will be much more theatre going on.

- Dolly Thakore

META is a great platform for new young groups, people doing different work, while also being a festival that promotes all our different languages and themes.

- Dadi Pudumjee

It's wonderful! What META is doing for theatre is very necessary to keep the art form alive and helping the new talents emerge and find footing as artists.

- Sudhir Mishra

At META, we see that with very little money, fueled with a lot of passion and just imagination, a huge team of people is working because they want to create something wonderful.

- Lilette Dubey