MSLF 2026 Kicks Off Early, Curtain Raiser Sets the Tone in Lucknow

The Mahindra Sanatkada Literature Festival (MSLF) 2026 has made an early and provocative start with its two-day curtain raiser held on January 3 and 4, signalling that this year’s edition may go beyond nostalgia-driven celebrations. The preview events, spread across heritage and cultural spaces in Lucknow, offered a glimpse into the festival’s central theme — ‘Raabta: Lucknow–Calcutta Ka’.

A key highlight was a film and heritage walk at the Lucknow Residency led by film historian and documentary filmmaker Eshan Sharma, who revisited the site through the lens of Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977). The walk reopened conversations around colonial history, cinematic interpretation, and the long-debated portrayal of Awadh’s decline, drawing both admiration and quiet disagreement among participants.

The curtain raiser also featured film screenings and panel discussions examining how Lucknow and Calcutta have been represented on screen over decades. Films by Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar Ali, and Shyam Benegal were referenced to explore themes of memory, migration, culture, and identity — subjects that organisers say will be expanded during the main festival.

Organisers described the January 3–4 events as a “preview, not a performance,” hinting that the five-day Mahindra Sanatkada Literature Festival, scheduled from January 30 to February 3, 2026 at Safed Baradari, Kaiserbagh, will delve deeper into shared histories that are often romanticised but rarely questioned.

With its curtain raiser already stirring conversation, MSLF 2026 appears poised to be less about comfort and more about cultural introspection — a shift that may redefine what literary festivals in the city are expected to do.