The Japan cut: A film festival
What: The Japanese Film Festival by the Japan Foundation is a celebration of contemporary and classic cinema that reflects Japan’s shifting social, emotional, and cultural landscapes.
The programme spans anime, thrillers, romances, youth dramas, and political satire, spotlighting both mainstream hits and offbeat gems. This edition examines narratives of intergenerational conflict, identity, resilience, desire, and moral ambiguity, offering a textured glimpse into modern Japanese storytelling.
Highlights range from cult anime landmark Akira (1988) and the bittersweet romance 366 Days (2025) to coming-of-age favourite Teasing Master Takagi-san (2024), political caper Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers (2025), campus thriller Six Lying University Students (2024), and intimate drama Petals and Memories (2025).
When: January 30 – February 1
Where: PVR, South City Mall
Entry: ₹199 for premier and silver; ₹399 for royal recliner
Sounds of India: Vir Das returns
What: Vir Das may be known as a funnyman, but with Sounds of India, he returns to the stage with a “cultural” show that draws its humour from the everyday symphonies of the country — its accents, rhythms, silences, and contradictions.
Conceived as an immersive audio-visual experience, the show weaves observational comedy into tales of cultural memory, moving fluidly between sharp political insight, personal reflection, and crowd-pleasing punchlines to build a narrative that is both intimate and expansive. Less a string of jokes than a carefully structured performance, Sounds of India plays with tone, tempo, and emotional recall, positioning comedy as a form of storytelling that captures the pulse of a nation in motion without flattening its complexity or nuance.
When: February 1, 7.30 PM
Where: Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium
Entry: ₹799- ₹3,999
A legacy in song
What: With Sree Charaneshu Maa Ke, singers and sisters Indrani Sen and Srabani Sen come together for an intimate musical tribute to their mother, the legendary Rabindrasangeet exponent Sumitra Sen. Conceived as a reflective evening of song and remembrance, the programme traces Sumitra Sen’s enduring influence on Bengali music and culture through carefully curated Tagore compositions and personal recollections.
The concert also seeks to explore the emotion and discipline that shaped her musical philosophy. Rather than a retrospective, the performances unfold as a living conversation between generations, where memory, legacy, and artistic inheritance intersect. Join in to celebrate the music, mentorship, and devotion that continue to shape Bengal’s listening traditions.
When: February 1, 6.30 pm
Where: GD Birla Sabhaghar
Entry: Prices start at ₹800
A weekend of creativity
What: Event organiser Social Sailor is curating a series of creative workshops in art and craft for beginners and hobbyists. The programme spans tactile, meditative and playful formats, ranging from block printing and Pichwai painting to rangoli on canvas, Japanese clay bento-making, mini canvas painting and Japanese Kumihimo braiding, among others.
Each session is designed to encourage slowing down, experimentation and engagement with traditional techniques through a contemporary lens. The workshops blend cultural storytelling with accessible instruction, creating immersive, low-pressure spaces for creative exploration.
The series aims to offer an entry point into mindful making, positioning everyday creativity as both a restorative ritual and a social experience that values process, patience and playful curiosity.
When: January 31 and February 1
Where: Cafe Buddy’s Espresso
Entry: Prices start at ₹1,099
A softer kind of pop
What: Anuv Jain brings his Dastakhat India Tour to Kolkata with a live show that promises to be intimate, emotional and candid. Built around acoustic arrangements and subtle instrumentation, the concert traces his breakout journey through melody. Jain’s songwriting draws on vulnerability, nostalgia and the ache of unfinished conversations, pulling audiences into moments of quiet, collective reflection. With songs that oscillate between tender confession and bittersweet longing, Dastakhat is set to be a deeply meditative live experience.
When: February 1, 6.30 pm
Where: Gold Acres, PC Chandra Garden
Entry: Prices start at ₹ 1,200
Life, in punchlines, by Akshay Srivastava
What: Akshay Srivastava brings his latest set to an intimate, studio-style setting, with comedy built around everyday absurdities, personal anecdotes and humour drawn from lived experience. The show leans into familiar social situations, small-town observations and the chaos of ordinary life, delivered through conversational storytelling.
Expect quick pivots and spontaneous tangents, sharp relatability, audience interaction, exquisite timing, and laughs all around.
When: January 31, 7 pm
Where: The Satire Club
Entry: ₹499
