# Performing Arts Festival

The Performing Arts Festival, abbreviated as PAF, is the biggest inter-hostel cultural competition in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay located at Powai in Mumbai (India). The term PAF is used to refer not only to the festival itself, but also to the individual cultural performances that constitute the festival.
Both undergraduate and graduate students at IIT Bombay participate in the preparation and organization of the festival. Typically six hostels (out of eighteen) are grouped together by random draw for each PAF. Though technically a drama, each PAF comprises contributions from several of the cultural arts including dramatics, literature, music, fine arts, debating and dance. Since 1999, the PAF has been held at the Open Air Theater (OAT) inside the Students' Activity Center (SAC), within the main campus of IIT Bombay. Typically, all dialogues at PAF are delivered using voice overs and not by the actors themselves, mainly owing to the large size and structure of the OAT. This requires co-ordination between the actors and the voice actors.

## Production (Prod)

One of the major tasks of a PAF, and the most unique one, is the preparation of the sets by fellow students. It is commonly called prod or prodwork, abbreviations for productions. Prod consists of making sets using bamboo, jute rope and screens made with layers of newspaper glued together by freshmen and seniors in co-operation. Structures strong enough to hold the weight of several people are prepared. In the PAF of 2007, for instance, a two-storeyed set was made in order to give the dramatists a chance to perform at an elevated level.
Production sets require the maximum amount of man hours to put them in place. Building of production sets (usually from bamboo) starts about a month before the PAF. The teams are allowed 3 days to install the sets and perform the finishing touches in the Open Air Theater.

## Theme and language

PAFs can be made in Hindi or English. Themes chosen are usually serious and have been drawn from history, science fiction, social injustice, biographies etc. The only caveat is that the scripts are expected to be original.

## Grouping

Though seemingly random, the teams are formed in a way that ensures fair chance for each. The pool of hostels is split into tiers based on their overall standings in the inter hostel cultural general championships (GCs) held throughout the year. The tiers then get split and mixed with other tiers either through a draw or mutual consensus.

## Major changes

* 2004 - Hostel 1 becomes a regular participant, having appeared only thrice in the past eleven years.
* 2006 - Number of PAFs brought down from five to four. The maximum team size increases to four.
* 2014-15 - New hostels 15 and 16 get added to the hostel pool.
* 2016 - The number of PAFs was brought down by one, to three in total, owing to the burden on resources and budget constraints. The teams now consist of six hostels each, the largest till date.
* 2020-21 - No PAFs were held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* 2022 - Due to a gap of 3 years, it was difficult to put up PAF as only few students in the institute had seen and experienced PAF. Hence, only one PAF was held, performed jointly by all the hostels.
* 2023 - Two PAFs were performed, in an attempt to slowly increase the number.

## Recent PAFs

The PAF season is at IIT Bombay during the last fortnight of March and the first week of April each year, officially culminating all the extracurricular activities of IIT Bombay for that academic year. Some recent PAFs include:
$^T$ = Tie
Main language used is Hindi unless stated otherwise
| Year | PAF Name | Hostels | Date | Overall position | Individual awards | Description | Ref. |
| 2023 | Punaravrati | 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 16C, 17 | Apr 2 | Runner-Up | | | |
| 2023 | Sindhu Afsaana | 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16AB, 17, 18, Tansa | Apr 7 | Winner | Script, Acting, Voice Over, Production, Music, Direction, Fine Arts, Lights, Costumes, Dance, Video, Gem of PAF | | |
| 2022 | Adwaita | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, Tansa | Apr 10 | | | | |
| 2019 | Tabeer Shanakht and have you heard the tale of a butterfly? | 4, 6, 8, 13, 15C, Tansa | Mar 29 | Runner-Up | | | |
| 2019 | Kuttay | 1, 2, 5, 10, 14, 15B | Apr 3 | Winner | Script, Acting, Voice Over, Production, Music, Direction, Lights, Costumes, Dance, Video | | |
| 2019 | Dopamine | 3,7,9,11,12, 16C | Apr 8 | 2nd Runner-up | Fine Arts | | |
| 2018 | Sandarsh | 1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 16B | Mar 28 | | Costumes, Dance | | |
| 2018 | Khaled | 2, 7, 9, 14, 15B, 15C | Apr 2 | | Script | | |
| 2018 | Aseer-e-Hayat | 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, Tansa | Apr 7 | | Production, Acting, Voice-overs, Lights, Video, Fine Arts, Music, Direction | | |
| 2017 | A Silent Song | 1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 15B | Mar 21 | 2nd Runner-Up | Voice-overs, Dance$^T$ | Based on the hardships of the relation between a father and a daughter. Elements in the dances were highly appreciated. Fusion of four different dance forms in one was the main attraction. | |
| 2017 | Nazariya | 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, Tansa | Mar 26 | Runner-Up | | Depicted the dilemmas one faces and how our opinions are essentially biased based on our perspectives. It stressed on not following the herd mentality and not having blind faith. | |
| 2017 | Rannbhoomi | 2, 5, 9, 14, 15C, 16B | Mar 31 | Winner | Script, Acting, Lights, Costumes, Music, Direction, Dance$^T$, Video, Prod, Fine Arts | Won 10 out of 11 trophies; was a poignant depiction of the intertwined and vicious political scenario and the effect it has on university students. It showed the struggle for freedom of expression, religious turmoil and how far some people go to get political benefits. | |
| 2016 | Daira | 2, 5, 7, 13, 15C, Tansa | Mar 22 | Runner-Up | Acting, Music, Direction, Dance | Specially applauded for dance and music; Depicted a girl’s dilemma over her sexuality while being pushed into a marriage; Portrayed the taboo of same sex marriage in Indian society | |
| 2016 | Apratyaksh | 1, 4, 9, 10, 14, 16B | Mar 27 | Winner | Lights, Costumes, Video | Revolved about the theme as how deception could be used for power. It narrated the story of a "Behroopiya" who lures an entire kingdom into believing his immaculate acting and his "Swaangs" and overthrows the king to ascend the throne. | |
| 2016 | Muntazir | 3, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15B | Apr 01 | 2nd Runner-Up | Script, Voice-over, Prod, Fine Arts | Production included a mini-bus sized movable ship | |
| 2015 | Keta (English) | 2, 3, 11, 14, 15A | Mar 22 | Runner-Up | Dance, Lights, Prod, Video | Won Gem of the PAF for Underwater Dance Element | |
| 2015 | Pahal | 7, 9, 10A, 12, 16C | Mar 25 | 2nd Runner-Up | Acting, Music | | |
| 2015 | Discovery of Indya | 1, 5, 8, 10 | Mar 28 | Winner | Script, Direction, Voice-over, Acting, Video | Revolves around a court case where a writer is indicted for writing a controversial book on the political leaders of India around the independence era | |
| 2015 | Aahuti | 4, 6, 13, 15C, Tansa | Mar 31 | 3rd Runner-Up | Prod, Costumes, Fine Arts | Portrayed the character of Chanakya, the Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor and his role in shaping the establishment of the Maurya Empire under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya | |
| 2014 | Lohar | 4, 5, 11, 13, Tansa | Mar 23 | 3rd Runner-Up | Script | | [5] [6] |
| 2014 | Pehchaan | 1, 6, 9, 10 | Mar 26 | Joint Winner | Acting, Voice-over, Music, Direction, Video (Trailer) | | [5] [6] |
| 2014 | Kolahal | 7, 8, 14, 10A, TypeC quarters | Mar 29 | 2nd Runner-Up | Prod | | [5] [6] |
| 2014 | Ekla Cholo Re | 2, 3, 12, 15 | Apr 01 | Joint Winner | Dance, Costumes, Lights, Fine Arts (Aesthetics) | Based on the life of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose | [5] [6] |
| 2013 | Satrangi | 3, 7, 13, 14 | Mar 15 | 3rd Runner-Up | | | |
| 2013 | Mandali | 5, 9, 12 | Mar 18 | Winner | Music$^T$, Fine Arts (Aesthetics), Prod$^T$, Script, Voice-over, Costumes, Lights$^T$ | Greatly applauded for its stage setup, aesthetics and music | |
| 2013 | Delhi Beats | 2, 8, 11, Tansa | Mar 21 | Runner-Up | Acting, Dance, Direction (Staging), Video (Film) | Set against the sensitive backdrop of rape, molestation and eve-teasing in Delhi | |
| 2013 | Bisaat | 1, 4, 6, 10 | Mar 25 | 2nd Runner-Up | Music$^T$, Prod$^T$, Lights$^T$ | | |
| 2012 | Maun | 2, 9, 10 | Mar 21 | Runner-Up | | (Hindi: मौन, lit., Silence) | |
| 2012 | Aawhan | 4, 6, 12, 14 | Mar 25 | | | | |
| 2012 | Antbahaar | 1, 3, 11, 13 | Mar 29 | Winner | Music, Prod, Costumes, Voice-over, Dance (Choreography), Direction, Lights, Script, Fine Arts | (Hindi: अंत बहार, lit., Last Drop Of Spring); Winning 9 out of 9 different aspects of PAF | |
| 2012 | Prime Minister (English) | 5, 7, 8, Tansa | Apr 02 | 2nd Runner-Up | | Strongly based on the life of Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister of India who was assassinated by the LTTE | |
| 2011 | Zoon | 3, 5, 10 | Mar 25 | Runner-Up | Music, Prod, Costumes | Urdu: rich Hindi | |
| 2011 | Golden Quadrilateral | 2, 8, 12, 13 | Mar 29 | Winner | Voice-over, Dance (Choreography), Screenplay, Lights | | |
| 2011 | Walong | 4, 9, 14 | Apr 03 | 2nd Runner-Up$^T$ | | | |
| 2011 | Chashm-E-Nam | 1, 6, 7, 11 | Apr 07 | 2nd Runner-Up$^T$ | Script | | |
| 2010 | Ramleela | 4, 10, 13 | Mar 18 | 3rd Runner-Up | | (Hindi: रामलीला, lit., Ram's play) | |
| 2010 | Panchhi re | 1, 3, 9, 12 | Mar 22 | Winner | Script, Dance, Screenplay, Acting, Voice-over | (Hindi: पंछी रे, lit., O' Bird); | |
| 2010 | Mai Mati | 5, 6, 11 | Mar 26 | Runner-Up | Music, Costumes | (lit., My soil) | |
| 2010 | Antaragni | 2, 7, 8, Tansa | Mar 30 | 2nd Runner-Up | Prod, Lights | (Hindi: अंतराग्नि, lit., The Fire Within) | |
| 2009 | Karvat | 5, 9, 12, Tansa | Mar 20 | 2nd Runner-Up | | (Hindi: करवट, lit., Turn aside) | |
| 2009 | If Tomorrow Comes | 3, 8, 11 | Mar 23 | Runner-Up | | | |
| 2009 | Najafgarh Express | 6, 7, 10 | Mar 26 | | | | |
| 2009 | Arthur Road | 1, 2, 4, 13 | Mar 30 | Winner | All except Music and Costumes | | |
| 2008 | Arsh | 1, 7, 8, 13 | Mar 18 | 2nd Runner-Up | | (Urdu: عرش, lit., Throne) | |
| 2008 | U-Turn | 4, 9, 10 | Mar 21 | Runner-Up | | | |
| 2008 | 1984 | 5, 6, 12, Tansa | Mar 25 | | | | |
| 2008 | The Show Goes On... | 2, 3, 11 | Mar 28 | Winner | | | |
| 2007 | Aashayein | 3, 8, 10 | Mar 18 | | | (Hindi: आशाएँ, lit., Hopes) | |
| 2007 | Saare Jahaan Se Achha | 1, 5, 11, 13 | Mar 21 | Winner | Dance (Choreography) | (lit., The Best in the World); Won Gem of PAF for the final choreography sequence | |
| 2007 | Numb-D | 2, 6, 9 | Mar 24 | | | | |
| 2007 | Good Morning | 4, 7, 12 | Mar 27 | | | | |
| 2006 | Asrār | 2, 8, 7 | Mar 19 | 2nd Runner-Up | Costumes | (Hindi: असरार, lit., the secret) | |
| 2006 | Kharāshen | 13, 6, 10, Tansa | Mar 22 | Runner-Up | Voice-over | (Hindi: ख़राशें, lit, the scratches) | |
| 2006 | Camouflages | 3, 5, 12 | Mar 25 | 3rd Runner-Up | | The first PAF ever to use the F-word and ‘orgasm’. | |
| 2006 | Déjà Vu | 1, 4, 9, 11 | Mar 28 | Winner | 7 out of 9 | (French, lit., already seen); based on the life of an IITian | |
| 2005 | Lāl Rekhā-Ek Marīchikā | 2, 7, 11 | Mar 20 | | Script | (Hindi: लाल रेखा-एक मरीचिका, lit., the red line-an illusion) | |
| 2005 | Satyoaham | 9, 13, Tansa | Mar 23 | 2nd Runner-Up | | (Hindi: सत्योऽहम, lit., I am the truth); Portrayed the conflict between the truth and self-ego. | |
| 2005 | Bombay | 1, 5, 10 | Mar 27 | Runner-Up | Acting$^T$, Costume, Prod, Publicity | (Hindi: बॉम्बे); About 3 characters - an actor, a journalist and a local goon - who want to make it big in their respective fields and the way they achieve their goals in the great city of Bombay | |
| 2005 | Kastūrī | 4, 8, 12 | Mar 30 | | | (Hindi: कस्तूरी, lit., musk) | |
| 2005 | Dastak | 3, 6 | Apr 02 | Winner | Music, Lights, Direction, Screenplay, Voice-Over, Acting$^T$, Dance (Choreography) | (Hindi: दस्तक, lit., knocking); Based on the life of Safdar Hashmi, great writer, actor and activist | |
| 2004 | Āhvān | 2, 5 | Mar 22 | 2nd Runner-Up | Acting, Voice-over, Costumes, Dance (Choreography) | (Hindi: आह्वान, lit., invoking) | |
| 2004 | Agnihotra | 7, 10, Tansa | Mar 26 | | Publicity | (Hindi: अग्निहोत्र, lit., the fire-sacrifice) | |
| 2004 | Far from Vietnam (English) | 3, 9, 12 | Mar 29 | | | | |
| 2004 | Asāfeer | 6, 8, 11 | Apr 01 | Runner-Up | Script, Prod, Lights | (Hindi: असाफ़ीर, lit., sparrow); in Urdu-rich Hindi | |
| 2004 | Lākshāgrih | 1, 4, 13 | Apr 04 | Winner | Music, Direction | (Hindi: लाक्षागृह, lit., the house made up of shellac) | |
| 2003 | Le Peintre de Mort (English) | 2, 6 | Mar 22 | | | (French, lit., the painter of death) | |
| 2003 | Child's Play (English) | 4, 11 | Mar 25 | | | | |
| 2003 | Omicidio (English) | 9, 10, Tansa | Mar 28 | | | (Italian, lit., the homicide) | |
| 2003 | Shānte Mrigayam | 3, 5 | Apr 07 | Winner | All except Dance and Costumes | (Hindi: शान्ते मृगयम्, lit., the peaceful deer) | |
| 2003 | Anth | 7, 8 | Apr 10 | | | (Hindi: अन्त, lit., the end) | |
| 2002 | Avshesh | 8, 9 | | Winner | Acting$^T$, Prod, Fine-Arts, Costumes | (Hindi: अवशेष, lit., Residue) | |
| 2002 | La Isla dela Musica, La Isla del Amor (English) | 2, 10, Tansa | Apr 04 | Runner-Up | Acting$^T$, Voice-over, Music, Dance (Choreography) | (Spanish, lit., the island of music, the island of love) | |
| 2002 | Aham Brahmasmi | 4, 5 | | | | (Hindi: अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि, lit., I am Brahman) | |
| 2002 | Aahuti | 1, 3, 11 | Mar 21 | 2nd Runner-Up | | (Hindi: आहुति, lit. the sacrifice) | |
| 2002 | 14:12 (English) | 6, 7 | | | | (a Biblical reference) | |
| 2001 | Thespian (English) | 2, 7 | | Winner | | | |
| 2001 | Dansh | 4, 9 | | | | (Hindi: दंश, lit., the snake-bite) | |
| 2001 | Asakth | 8, 10 | | | | (Hindi: आसक्त, lit., the addiction) | |
| 2001 | Nimaad | 3 | | | | (Hindi: निमाड, popular for maa reva, the river Narmada) | |
| 2001 | Pratyancha | 5, 11 | | Runner-Up | | (Hindi: प्रत्यंचा, lit., the Bowstring) | |
| 2000 | Rashtroday | 2, 9 | | | Costumes | (Hindi: राष्ट्रोदय, lit., the rise of the nation) | |
| 2000 | Al-Qasas | 5, 8 | | Winner | Lights, Prod, Direction, Dance (Choreography), Screenplay$^T$, Music$^T$, Acting$^T$ | (Hindi: अल-क़सस, Urdu / Arabic: lit., The Story); Best Actor: Vaibhav Gupta$^T$ | |
| 2000 | Sarhad | 3, 4 | | Runner-Up | Screenplay$^T$, Music$^T$, Acting$^T$ | (Hindi: सरहद, lit., border) | |
| 2000 | Asambhav | 1, 7, 11 | | 2nd Runner-Up | | Best Actor: Bharat Garg$^T$ | |
| 1999 | Abhimanyu | 4, 7 | | Winner | | (Hindi: अभिमन्यु, see Abhimanyu of the Hindu mythology) | |
| 1999 | Where There is a Will (English) | 4, 10, Tansa | | | | | |
| 1999 | All for Love (English) | 5, 6 | | | | | |
| 1998 | The Dream Theater (English) | 2, 3 | | Winner | | | |
| 1998 | OR (English) | 4, 5 | | | | | |
| 1998 | The Artist (English) | 6, 7 | | | | | |
| 1998 | Ek Adhura Kalpavriksha | 9, 10 | | | | | |
| 1997 | ...In Love and War (English) | 2, 5 | | | | | |
| 1997 | Nightfall (English) | 6, 8 | | Runner-Up | | based on the Isaac Asimov story | |
| 1997 | Mrigtrishna (English) | 7, 10, Tansa | | Winner | | | |
| 1995 | The End | 4, 8 | | Joint Winner | | | |
| 1995 | Harlequin Chevalerie | 3, 7 | | Joint Winner | | | |
| 1995 | The Twilight Zone | 1, 9, 11 | | | | | |
| 1994 | Raga Saaga | 7, 8 | | | | | |
| 1994 | "Any Dream Will Do" | 3, 10 | | Winner | | | |
| 1994 | The Unforgiven | 4, 9 | | | | | |
| 1993 | Locomotivation | 3, 9 | | Winner | | | |
| 1991 | Moonstone | 6, 9 | | | | | |
| 1991 | Songs of Distant Earth | 2, 7 | | Winner | | | |
| 1990 | Phantasmagoria | 5, 6 | | Winner | | |
It has been observed that 2002 was the last time when the team performing first won the PAF.