People say Mumbai moves fast. But it moves fast together: Manu Rishi Chadha on love, memory and ‘Window Tak Aashiqui’

Before becoming a familiar face across films and streaming platforms, Manu Rishi Chadha spent years in Delhi’s theatre circuit, performing with Arvind Gaur’s Asmita Theatre Group in productions such as Court Martial and Andha Yug.

That theatrical grounding continues to shape his storytelling — intimate, reflective, and deeply rooted in everyday human emotion. In conversation with Indulge Express around his solo performance “Window Tak Aashiqui,” Manu reflected on loneliness, first love, and the emotional texture of Old Delhi’s mohalla culture, where affection often existed through silence, fleeting glances, and quiet anticipation rather than constant communication.

On loneliness, memory and first love

For Manu, “Window Tak Aashiqui” is deeply tied to memory and the emotional residue of growing up in Old Delhi. “As an artist, I feel loneliness is precious,” he shared, describing loneliness as something that often takes a person back to their roots and beginnings. Reflecting on the emotional core of the play, he said there comes a moment “when loneliness and innocence meet,” and something magical unfolds in that silence. For him, the performance became a way of reconnecting with that innocence, where deeply personal memories slowly transform into stories shared with an audience.

On love in the age of constant communication

While the play revisits a generation where affection unfolded through pauses, windows, and restraint, Manu believes the nature of love itself has not changed. “The heart still connects the same way, the same magic still happens… abracadabra,” he said. What he finds difficult to understand, however, is how quickly heartbreak seems to heal today. Reflecting on the slower emotional realities of his own generation, he admitted that perhaps it comes from “the kind of love I believe in.”

Delhi, Mumbai and the idea of belonging

Having spent his childhood in Delhi and his youth in Mumbai, Manu also spoke about how both cities shaped his understanding of belonging and human connection. While Delhi gave him the emotional landscape that informs the play, Mumbai, he feels, embraced those memories and gave them a collective home. “People say Mumbai moves fast. And it does. But it moves fast together,” he observed, describing the city as “one vast neighbourhood” carrying everyone along with it.

What: “Window Tak Aashiqui” — a Hindi solo performance written and performed by Manu Rishi Chadha

Where: Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, The Studio Theatre

When: May 22, 2026 | 8 PM onwards

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