India, Nov. 12 -- Chandigarh University's much-anticipated 'Dastak Theatre Festival 2025' opened this weekend, bringing together some of India's most celebrated theatre and film veterans for a five-day celebration of art, culture and live performance. Themed 'A Knock on the Door of Emotions', the festival will conclude on November 13, and is being held across two venues - Chandigarh University and Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Organised by the department of art and cultural affairs, the festival features seven powerful plays - six directed and performed by renowned theatre and film personalities including Himani Shivpuri, Rajendra Gupta, Makarand Deshpande, Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Durgesh Kumar, Kumud Mishra, Rajinder Sharma Nanu and Ajit Chowdhury - along with one special presentation by Chandigarh University students. The university's award-winning play 'Kaal Roopam', opened the festival to a packed audience. The grand inauguration ceremony was graced by actor Rajendra Gupta and singer Gurnam Bhullar as chief guests. On the second day, actors Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey joined as chief guests along with Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University Lucknow Campus, Damandeep Kaur Sandhu, and senior MD Deepinder Singh Sandhu. The day featured 'Puraane Chawal', directed by Sumeet Vyas and starring Kumud Mishra and Shubrajyoti Barat - a Hindi adaptation of Neil Simon's 'The Sunshine Boys', portraying the emotional journey of two retired comedy legends. Speaking on the occasion, Sandhu, "We are making efforts to connect students with their history and culture to ignite curiosity and creativity. Theatre and other performing arts are vital in education, helping students relieve stress while fostering innovation and expression. Chandigarh University continues to provide a vibrant platform where young minds excel not just academically but also culturally." The festival continues with a rich line-up of performances. On Wednesday, audiences will witness 'Nothing Like Lear', directed by Rajat Kapoor and performed by Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, a moving exploration of grief, love and laughter through the lens of Shakespeare's King Lear. The festival will end with 'Gandhi', a powerful solo act by Makarand Deshpande, which reimagines Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy in the context of contemporary society - promising a fitting finale to this celebration of stage, emotion and storytelling. HTC...