The journey of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is nothing short of a Hindi film plot. Born into a wrestler’s family in Allahabad, he secretly pursued the flute and took the humble folk instrument to the global stage. His extraordinary journey came alive in Bansuri Jab Gaane Lage, a Hindi musical that bridges the worlds of classical music, theatre and film history, when it premiered in Mumbai last year. Now, HCL Concerts is bringing the play to five cities—the Delhi premiere took place on 1 July.
The creative force behind the production include his son Rajeev and daughter-in-law Pushpanjali, who has co-written the play with Suhail Abbasi. Together, they have crafted a heartwarming narrative that focuses on the struggle and soul of a legend.
In 2013, Rajeev had directed the National Award-winning documentary film, Bansuri Guru (produced by the Films Division of India) on the life of his father. However, this time, he wanted to adapt the story for the stage. “Most people know Panditji as an Indian classical musician but not many are aware of his contribution to Hindi film music. We wanted to make a play that also showcases that side of him,” says Pushpanjali. In fact, Panditji was also a part of the popular duo Shiv-Hari (with the late santoor player Shivkumar Sharma), who composed music for a number of Yash Raj films such as Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe and Darr.
The play, directed by Kunal Vijaykar and Bhushan Korgaonkar, features a live ensemble of musicians, many of whom are Pandit Chaurasia’s students from Vrindaban Gurukul, the traditional music school founded by him with branches in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar. Disciple and flautist Debopriya Ranadive shares that the sonic landscape of the play mirrors the evolution of Pandit Chaurasia’s life. “It begins with earthy folk music representing his early years and then transitions to a medley of memorable compositions, including tracks from Silsila and the immortal flute track of Hero. It moves on to the classical ragas that the world knows him for,” she says.
The play is narrated through the eyes of the women in his life, including his mother, sister, guru-maa Annapurna Devi (daughter of Ustad Allaudin Khan) and his wife Anuradha—all essayed by a single actor, Reshma Shetty. Instead of an actor playing the role of Pandit Chaurasia, the creators have chosen to depict his musical journey through the perspective of the flute, with actor Vikas Rawat playing Bansi.
When the musical premiered to a packed house at Mumbai’s Balgandharva Auditorium on 19 January 2025, Pandit Chaurasia himself was in the audience. “We were very nervous about his reaction but he was overwhelmed with emotions after watching the play,” recalls Pushpanjali.
The production will head to Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in subsequent weeks. The Delhi premiere marked Pandit Chaurasia’s 88th birthday with the maestro in the audience. As Debopriya readied her flute, the cast and crew came together to thank him for taking the bansuri to the world.
Deepali Dhingra is a Delhi-based art and culture writer.