VMPL

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 3: The fifth edition of the YathaKatha Film & Literature Festival, held from 28 September to 1 October 2026 in Mumbai, concluded with four days of films, literature, poetry, performances, workshops, masterclasses and meaningful conversations around the theme

"Voices of a Changing India."

The fifth edition marked an important milestone for YathaKatha, which has grown over the years as a space where cinema and literature come together beyond conventional boundaries.

Among the highlights were conversations with acclaimed industry leaders including Rahul Rawail, Makarand Deshpande, Aaditi

Pohankar, Mahesh Thakur, Jayati Bhatia, Anangsha Biswas, Yogendra Vikram Singh, Sawan Tank along with filmmakers and industry professionals including Dr. Piyush Roy, Anurag Mishra, Nivedita Pohankar and may others.

A special international presence came from Brazilian filmmaker and artist Clara Clarice, who joined the festival on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Brazil, adding an international dimension to the fifth edition and contributing to the festival's larger dialogue on cultural exchange.

The festival also witnessed the launch of The Last Bargain, a fiction thriller by author Nikhlesh Mathur, in the presence of acclaimed filmmaker Rahul Rawail and actor-filmmaker Makarand Deshpande and Brazilian Filmmaker & Artist Clara Clarice. Reflecting on the launch, Mathur said, "I am honestly still amazed by how beautifully the festival is organised. What touched me the most was seeing the diverse crowd-especially the students in the audience-listening with such intense interest and staying completely captivated throughout the different activities. As an author, it was a profoundly unique experience."

The SWA Writers' Room session examined the craft of writing for the screen and the collaborative process behind contemporary storytelling, offering insights into how ideas and literary sensibilities are transformed into cinematic and OTT narratives.

Another significant conversation was the Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal session, "Literature and Films - A Unique Bond," which explored the longstanding relationship between Marathi literature and cinema and the ways in which literary works, writers and filmmakers have influenced each other over the years.

Special appreciation was extended to Kiran Bhat, literary curator, for his contribution to the festival's literary programming and for bringing together diverse conversations and voices.

The festival was held in collaboration with SVKM's Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Arts, Science & Commerce, with Krokio Products Pvt. Ltd. as its main partner. The festival also received support from Union Bank of India Mumbai, NTPC Auraiya, RV University Bengaluru, Lakshya Trust Gujarat, Arena Animation, Poetry Circle 2.0, Paperwall Publishing, Global Hindi Foundation Singapore, Asifa India, Capital World Consultancy Pune, First Foray Literary Agency, Eon Films, Film & TV World, AABO-Hawa Bhopal, and several other supporters and collaborators.

On behalf of the team and management of UPG College, Mr. Ashish Mehta expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the collaboration with YathaKatha. He emphasised that such exposure can help students gain confidence, broaden their perspective and better understand the opportunities and realities of pursuing careers in the creative industries.

YathaKatha Founder Charu Sharma said, "Closing our fifth edition is an emotional moment for me, but I see it less as an ending and more as the beginning of a new chapter. When we started YathaKatha, we wanted to create a space where cinema, literature and people could come together - and watching that vision grow has been deeply fulfilling.

What moved me most this year was seeing students and young audiences engage so openly with filmmakers, writers and actors. If YathaKatha can give even one young person the confidence to find their voice or imagine a future in the creative world, then our work has meaning.

I am deeply grateful to our participants, artists, speakers, partners, institutions, students, audiences and my entire team for making this edition possible. We now look forward to expanding the platform, creating more opportunities for emerging voices and taking YathaKatha into its next chapter. Edition 5 is not a full stop - it is the beginning of what comes next."

Looking Ahead: The Journey Continues

For YathaKatha, the conclusion of Edition 5 is not an ending but the beginning of the next chapter. The festival intends to build on the momentum of its fifth edition by expanding its engagement with independent cinema, literature, young filmmakers, emerging artists and new forms of storytelling.

www.yathakatha.com 

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