From Peshawar to Bombay
Prithviraj Kapoor was an actor whose work connected Indian cinema with a travelling theatre company. His granddaughter Sanjna Kapoor writes that he came from Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province and made Bombay his home. Peshawar is now in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province; it should not be placed in Punjab. In her family account, Sanjna describes Prithviraj turning to theatre while already established in films. She presents this choice as a way to address audiences directly about social concerns. The essay is a family member’s perspective on a theatre tradition that involved many performers and writers.[1]
A travelling company
Prithvi Theatre’s own history says Prithviraj founded Prithvi Theatres in 1944. Its first production was Shakuntala; later productions addressed contemporary themes and were written for the company. The institution’s account describes a touring repertory visiting towns across the subcontinent and performing in cinema halls as well as theatre venues. It names Deewar and Pathan among its plays. This is an account maintained by an organisation that preserves the company’s legacy. Its description makes clear that the work depended on touring, rehearsal and the labour of a troupe, not just on a single film star.[2]
The later Mumbai theatre
The later Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai is a separate institution from the original travelling company. Its history says that after Prithviraj’s death in 1972, his son Shashi Kapoor worked to establish a theatre in his memory. Jennifer Kapoor worked with architect Ved Segan on the building. The organisation describes the intimate auditorium and its suitability for performances without electronic amplification. The permanent venue carried forward an interest in theatre, but it should not be confused with the earlier troupe’s itinerary or repertoire. Both histories show how a theatrical legacy can take more than one institutional form.[3]
Sources & notes
Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.
- Sanjna Kapoor. Theatre as temple ↗Written source · Source date: 2017-08-18 · Locator: Sanjna Kapoor’s family essay: Peshawar, Bombay and the 1944 travelling company. Accessed 2026-11-04.The published family essay was read as Sanjna Kapoor’s interpretation. The original theatre records and the earlier parliamentary speech she quotes were not independently examined.Return to From Peshawar to Bombay, paragraph 1 ↑
- Prithvi Theatre. Prithvi Theatres: the beginning ↗Written source · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: The Beginning and Memorable Play sections: 1944 foundation, touring and repertoire. Accessed 2026-11-04.The theatre organisation’s history was read. It is an institutional account of the company’s legacy; original touring records and performances were not independently examined.Return to A travelling company, paragraph 1 ↑
- Prithvi Theatre. The theatre: history ↗Written source · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: The Idea, Constructing Prithvi and trustees’ statement: permanent venue and design. Accessed 2026-11-04.The theatre organisation’s history and trustees’ description were read. It concerns the later Mumbai venue, rather than the original touring company; construction records were not independently examined.Return to The later Mumbai theatre, paragraph 1 ↑
Record PH-PEO-0197 · English edition · human review not performed