Following the cult success of Tumbbad, director Rahi Anil Barve has returned to the spotlight at the 24th Pune International Film Festival with his much-anticipated feature, Mayasabha. Starring Javed Jafri, the film is a psychological thriller that delves into the darker recesses of human nature, exploring themes of love, greed, and the erosion of trust.
The narrative centres on Parameshwar Khanna, played by Javed Jafri, a once-mighty and opulent film producer. Now mentally fractured and stripped of his influence, Khanna resides within the decaying walls of an abandoned, single-screen theatre in Mumbai.
In Mayasabha, Parameshwar Khanna emerges as a complex presence, positioned neither as hero nor villain, while three other human characters collectively navigate the mounting tension of the abandoned space they inhabit. Binding them together is the theatre itself, which Barve conceives as a “fifth character”; a living, breathing entity whose architecture and atmosphere actively shape the psychological states of those trapped within it.
During an interaction with the media at PIFF, Barve emphasized the importance of the physical setting in his filmmaking process.
I always say that my film has five main characters: four are humans and the fifth one is the theatre where the story unfolds. Mayasabha is usually overlooked by the audience as just a background, but here, it is essential to the spectrum of the protagonist's journey.Rahi Anil Barve, Director Mayasabha
Barve noted that while Tumbbad was defined by its atmospheric folk-horror, Mayasabha is an entirely different cinematic experience. It focuses on the psychological decay of power within a crumbling architectural relic of Mumbai’s cinematic history.
The film is scheduled to release in the theatres nationwide on the 30th of January, 2026.