The hour before the evening show at Ranga Shankara is the busiest time of day for Anju Sudarshan. Between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm, the orders at Anju’s Café for coffee, juice, vadas, fries, herb toasts and mushroom sandwiches are seemingly endless. Sudarshan and her two assistants work swiftly behind the café’s black granite counter making sure everyone has their fill before the first of three bells – the signal to queue up for entry into the theatre hall – goes off.

Nine years ago, Sudarshan knew nothing about theatre and as much about retailing food. A chance encounter with Ranga Shankara founder Arundhati Nag brought her to the theatre, which celebrated its tenth anniversary last fortnight. Sudarshan says she saw the warm open space near the buzzing lobby and grand staircase, fell in love with its vibe and took the plunge into catering for theatregoers.

Sudarshan's crisp akki rotis lined with chutney powder are now famous throughout Bangalore – no mean feat in a city that loves this signature Karnataka breakfast dish. Sabudana vada and vada pao, dishes the Mumbai-raised caterer included on the menu, are hot favourites.

Sudarshan, who rarely watched a play before she started her venture at Ranga Shankara, now rarely misses a production. Regulars at the theatre today rely on Anju’s unofficial reviews. “A lot of people come and ask me, ‘What is this play, should I go see it?’” she said. “I usually watch the first show and if it is an exceptional play I even book tickets for other people.”



“Anju is a fantastic person when it comes to food and being here, watching this place, she has sensitised herself to the art form,” said Veejay, a writer and avid theatregoer with an appreciation for Sudarshan's tuna sandwiches. “She is in a position to tell the good from the bad. Sudarshan’s word goes around. People come here for food and then what is the harm in getting a free review.” Some of her all-time favourites are Piya Beharupiya, Miss Meena and Stories in a Song.

Lack of debates shows play is boring

Sudarshan assesses the impact of a play screened at Ranga Shankara from the buzz in her café after the show. “If the play has not been very good or it has been boring then people just want to leave. If they want to linger here and talk about it then it is good,” she said. Nirbhaya, the play dealing with sexual violence and staged by survivors of sexual assault, led to some of the longest and most intense discussions, Sudarshan  recalled.

The café’s exciting mango recipes, made during Ranga Shankara’s annual mango festival, and its traditional Onam sadya draw in hordes of Bangaloreans in whom Sudarshan  sees potential audience members for the theatre. “Sometimes people think that they are not the kind to watch theatre," she said. "I was one of them. But now I love it. It is just about breaking that wall and making an effort.”

Before Ranga Shankara, Bangalore theatre events were crammed into the "season" in October, November and December. Ranga Shankara changed that by staging plays all year round for just Rs 200 a ticket. “Any day you walk in there is something to watch,” said Anjali, who runs a chain of eye hospitals and has been coming to the theatre since it opened. Anjali’s daughters come to its workshops every summer and Anju’s Café is a hit with them too. “We have even held the children’s birthday parties here,” Anjali said. “Bring a cake, order food, have the party here and then go see a play.”