Heeramandi Star Jayati Bhatia Will Bring Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s Khatijabai Of Karmali Terrace To Mumbai, Pune, And Bangalore
India-wide release, 08 September 2025: Jayati Bhatia, the popular actress (Heeramandi, Rocky Aur Rani ki Prem Kahani, and Sasural Simar Ka), will star as the sassy and stubborn matriarch, Khatijabai, in the one woman show, Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace. Directed by the renowned theatre director and producer Quasar Thakore Padamsee, the play opened in November 2004 at the Prithvi Theatre Festival and has been running successfully ever since. It is still a fresh and unique take on the journey of Khatijabai, an underdog, who becomes the ruling matriarch of the Karmali household. This audacious tale will be staged across Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore in September 2025, starting with Mumbai on September 10, 2025, at the Rangshila Theatre in Andheri.
Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace is an adaptation of the celebrated Singaporean play Emily of Emerald Hill by playwright Stella Kon. For the Indian audience, Quasar has set the play in the foreground of post-colonial affluence of 1950s Mumbai.
Be it Emily or Khatijabai, their story is a universal tale of women in a male-dominated society who are living a life not dictated by their own will. Khatija, an orphaned girl, gets married into the Karmali family, where her life seems to revolve around endless errands that she fulfils relentlessly but with a sense of endearing entitlement. At the same time, we see different shades of Khatija: her buttering the in-laws for the ‘most favoured position’, power struggles with her sister-in-law, and pressure from her eldest son. While she presents a monologue of her tribulations to become the matriarch and wrap the Karmali household around the web of her providing, the trajectory of her mission takes an unusual turn.
Jayati Bhatia, a popular actress who has entertained audiences across television, films, stage, and OTT, seamlessly gets into the skin of Khatijabai Karmali. You have seen Jayati play Nirmala, aka, Mataji, in Sasural Simar Ka. Recently, she stumped the audience with her portrayal of Phatto, a loyal aide of Mallikajaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Heeramandi. Bhatia successfully taps into the different shades of Khatija, bringing her warmth, grayness, and caring nature to the audience’s notice through a striking monologue.
Along with the stellar cast and director, this one-act play also has an incredible technical crew making it run smoothly and flawlessly. Arghya Lahiri, a writer, director, and lighting designer, has done the Light Designing, bringing hues that add gravitas and depth to Jayati’s performance. Jinal Shah serves as the Production Manager for the play.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee has been an integral part of the booming theatre scene in Mumbai for over two decades. With QTP Entertainment, he has brought many social issues to light through an interesting array of plays like Project S.T.R.I.P., So Many Socks, Minorities, and others. With Khatijabai Of Karmali Terrace, he does not victimise Khatija. He instead exposes the intricate webs of complex problems that a woman faces to run a household that does not even see her beyond her role as a nurturer and a provider.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Director of the play, said, “When I first adapted Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace in 2004 from the classic Singaporean play from the 80s, I recognised the parallels between their post-colonial experiences as well as ours. However, apart from this broad socio-political context, I was drawn in by the fact that it is a universal story of a woman’s endurance and her strife for agency in a world that is constantly gamed against her every step of the way. The character of Khatija is loosely based on my grandmother, whom I never really got to know closely. And working on this play has helped me better understand her as a matriarch and my roots, as well as Bombay in the 1950s. I am happy with its successful two-decade run and even happier that it is reaching newer audiences every day!”
Jayati Bhatia, who plays Khatijabai, added, “I have played the character of Khatija, or rather, have been practically living with Khatija, from 2004 until now. Her story is still relevant and still fresh. Playing this character has been a truly rewarding experience where I have learnt from her as well as consciously and subconsciously inculcated her values in my life. I am glad to continue portraying this role under a director as talented as Quasar. The play’s continuous run is a testament to the iconic character’s timelessness and relatability even today.”
Come and meet this not-so-typical neighbourhood aunty with a sharp tongue, who is stubborn, has no chill, and has no time for your nonsense, this September
