Theatre usually plays to the hall in front of it. Natrang, the Jammu group led by Padma Shri Balwant Thakur, has taken a film on a regional founder to schools, colleges and halls across the Union Territory instead.
The screening
On 21 October, the 234th birth anniversary of Maharaja Gulab Singh, Natrang screened Gulab Gatha in Jammu to what Daily Excelsior describes as a large gathering of young students and artists. The report does not name the hall.
The film
It is a feature film written, conceptualised and directed by Thakur on the Maharaja's life and the creation of the princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. The report lists a cast of 32 artists, including Arvind Anand, Madan Rangeela, Sudhir Jamwal and Arvin Tickoo, with Maloop Singh as technical director, Sanjay Kumar as cameraman and Neeraj Badyal as editor. Natrang says it has held more than 200 screenings across J&K.
What was said
Thakur thanked Dr Karan Singh, chairman of the Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust, for entrusting him with the project. He compared the Maharaja's historical stature to Napoleon Bonaparte, citing military ambition, strategic vision and his role in reshaping the region's map; that is the director's own view, as reported. The screening closed with a call to preserve and share the region's heritage.
Why it is on our radar
For young Jammu viewers this is a locally made feature with local actors and crew, which is rarer than it should be. The report gives no information on future screenings or how to attend; if Natrang announces them, we will list them.
Source: Daily Excelsior, 22 October 2026.
