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Pune recently came alive with Rada 2026, an exhilarating celebration of Marathi pop culture presented by BhaDiPa. This lively two-day festival brought together a diverse mix of creators, musicians, and actors, featuring electrifying performances in Marathi rap, hilarious comedy skits, and captivating poetry that captivated thousands of young attendees.
What does a Marathi pop culture fest look like? Last weekend, Punekars got the answer through Rada 2026, organised by BhaDiPa, an event that brought together popular creators, musicians and celebs under one roof.
“I think we have been pretty good at blazing new paths. Maybe because we’re brave or maybe because we’re stupid. We just like doing things that haven’t been done before and that’s what drives us.
Paula McGlynn, co-founder of BhaDiPa
A farewell to Casting Couch with Amey Wagh, Nipun Dharmadhikari and Sarang Sathe (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry)
One stage, many artistesFrom bringing the OG Casting Couch jodi, Amey Wagh and Nipun Dharmadhikari, back with Sarang Sathaye, to giving the crowd a glimpse of the power of Marathi rap, with the likes of Sambata, Srushti Tawade and more, and getting the attendees grooving to the beats of Kratex, Yashraj Mukhate and Nagesh Morvekar – the fest had it all.
I am originally from Kolkata, but I was here for the vibes and the fest did not disappoint! I was introduced to Marathi pop-culture recently and to experience its impact live was something I won’t forget
Tanisha Chanda, a designer
Year Down sets the stage on fire with Pattya The Doc and Hit Spirit (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry)
Spanning two days, the event saw popular artistes from various fields taking the spotlight and drawing thousands of youngsters to the venue.
Sarang Sathe, co-founder of BhaDiPa and a stand-up comedian, shared, “We began with an audience of just 50. To see such a big turnout at an event just makes us all feel grateful and more encouraged.”
We honestly started casting couch as an experiment. We were wondering if we can turn the sheer amount of timepass that we did in college into something more. Being able to do something with Amey and Sarang was the best part for me.
Nipun Dharmadhikari, filmmaker and actor
Rap, comedy and a proper vibe-check at this city fest Creators Shubham Jadhav and Neel Salekar took to the Pune stage as Garditle Dardi with a set of Marathi poems - some funny, some heartfelt. While Shubham performed his original work, Neel recited some beloved Marathi classics.
For an audience used to seeing them doing comedy skits online, the shift felt both surprising and delightful.
Neel Salekar, aka Just Neel Things, and Shubham Jadhav move the audience as they perform a set of Marathi poetry (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry)
Everyone goes through love and heartbreak at some point in their lives. There are some fantastic literary works in Marathi encompassing these emotions but many Gen Zers are unaware of them. We took this opportunity to try and change that
Shubham Jadhav, content creator
When asked about the change in their content on stage, Neel said that he wanted to take the opportunity to introduce people to Marathi poetry. He said, “Many times, when I post a poem by a well-known Marathi poet, people assume I’ve written it. That made me realise how little people know about Marathi poetry today. I wanted to change that, and this was a perfect platform for that.”
Kratex gets the audience dancing to Tambdi Chambdi (Picture credits: Jignesh Mistry)
What I loved about the festival is that it brought regional pop culture to the fore. It was refreshing and I think, a start of something new
Amey Wagh, actor
English (US) ·