Mirage: A Theatrical Dramatization of Ananya Mukherjee’s Cancer Diary

The play Mirage is a dramatization of Ananya Mukherjee’s cancer diary, capturing her experiences, her methods of combating the illness, and her choice to live a blissful life despite undergoing chemotherapy more than fifty times. Ananya Mukherjee passed away in 2018 after fighting cancer.

Ananya Mukherjee spent her childhood in Nagpur and Delhi, attended college there, earned a Master's in Mass Communication from Symbiosis College in Pune as a batch topper, and obtained a Master's in Journalism from the University of Wollongong in Australia. Her seventeen-year professional career included work with PR agencies and corporate houses such as Corporate Voice, Good Relations, Ingersoll Rand, and the Dalmia Bharat Group.

The production is directed by Randhir Kumar, a 2008 National School of Drama graduate who also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Randhir Kumar is the founder and artistic director of the “Raga” Repertory and has received honors such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2013-14, along with fellowships from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Patna.

In the director’s note, Randhir Kumar shares Ananya Mukherjee’s reaction to her breast cancer diagnosis and describes the drama as a light in the dark battle of cancer, offering hope not only to cancer patients but to everyone facing their own struggles.

The “RAAGA” ensemble, established in 2007, brings together professionals from theater, writing, design, music, and visual arts. With over five hundred performances and twelve plays over fifteen years, the group's notable productions include Daakghar, Baby, Jahajin, Putrid Prologue, Natmethiya, Mirage, Outkast, Kamala Suraiya, and Foul Play.