Ashish Vidyarthi finds his voice in Kahanibaaz — a journey through storytelling!

After more than three decades on stage and screen, actor Ashish Vidyarthi has little left to prove. With over 300 films across 11 languages, a National Film Award and a career that has moved seamlessly between theatre, cinema, comedy and conversation, he has long been a familiar presence in Indian popular culture. Yet Kahanibaaz, his storytelling performance, feels less like a culmination and more like a gentle reinvention — one rooted in warmth, vulnerability and the quiet joy of shared human experience today.

Ashish’s life has always been steeped in performance. Born in Delhi to a kathak guru mother and a father deeply invested in documenting India’s vanishing performing arts, his journey into storytelling feels almost inevitable. Trained at the National School of Drama and shaped by decades of character work — often as the antagonist — Ashish has now stepped into a space where the only role he plays is himself. And in Kahanibaaz, that self is open, curious, funny and deeply generous.

We had the joy of watching the performance in Bengaluru last week and it unfolds like an intimate conversation with an old friend. For nearly two hours, Ashish holds the audience in rapt attention, weaving stories of falling in love, struggling to find his first role in cinema, growing up as a dyslexic child and navigating the quiet ache of colourism as a South Indian man in Delhi — these are not grand declarations, but small, textured memories. From how two table fans became the background score to his childhood, to moments of defeat and hard-won joy — the stories are personal, yet universally resonant.

What makes Kahanibaaz so affecting is its tone. There is lilting music in the background, celebratory notes that rise softly and an emotional rhythm that moves effortlessly between laughter and reflection. Ashish’s storytelling style is understated; he relies on language, timing and subtle performance rather than theatrical flourish. In doing so, he creates a space where the audience feels welcomed — as confidants and friends — into his inner world. That generosity was echoed in the response to the performance.

It is a rare thing to make people feel seen through stories that are not their own and Kahanibaaz achieves exactly that. When asked why he chose to step away into storytelling, Ashish was quick to clarify that it was not about stepping away at all. “So, I don’t step away. In fact, one of the things that I do in my storytelling is let people know that you can do many things,” he says, describing a life that moves fluidly between films, motivational talks, food reels and live performance.

“The joy is the ability of each one to explore many things in one life,” he shares.  The idea for Kahanibaaz took shape gradually, beginning with stand-up comedy and evolving into something more expansive. “This is eventually going to turn into a two and a half hour show with an interval and everything. This is being designed as stories that heal,” he tells us. That phrase — stories that heal — sits at the heart of the performance.

In a time marked by exhaustion and angst, Ashish’s intention is simple and sincere. “The idea is not to ask people not to do something. But to inspire them to do something amazing with what they can do,” he avers. In Kahanibaaz, he laughs at himself, sheds a few tears and invites the audience to do the same — to recognise the magic in the ordinary and celebrate life as it is.

Kahanibaaz is not just storytelling; it is an offering. Gentle, honest and quietly uplifting, it reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful performances are the ones that leave us feeling a little lighter than when we arrived.

INR 499 onwards. February 13, 8.30 pm. At Samarthanam Auditorium, HSR Layout.

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