| Rashi Bunny | |
| Birth Place: | Mumbai, India |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Yearsactive: | 1994–present |
| Spouse: | Parag Bhargava |
| Children: | Jaadoo (Samagr Sakshi) |
| Homepage: | https://rashibunny.in |
| Awards: | Colour of Nation award, International Theatre festival, Nizhnevartovsk, Russia Ruby Llyod Artistic & academic Excellence awardChosen as one of the 50 Icons: emerging personality of India in 2005 by Sahara India Group |
Rashi Bunny is an Indian theatre and cinema actress. She has performed in Bhisham Sahni's Madhavi,[1] [2] Manjula Padmanabhan's Hidden Fires,[3] and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince[4] [5] with director Arvind Gaur. Rashi Bunny was selected as "one of the 50 Icons: Emerging personality of India" by the Sahara India group with Rahul Gandhi. Rashi Bunny is also known for the "I have a dream" theatre workshop for self-exploration and creative expression.
She worked with Living Theatre Academy under Ebrahim Alkazi. She is guest faculty member at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and has lectured widely in schools, colleges, and institutes of repute in India and abroad. Rashi organized theatre workshops for children in schools and worked with NGOs on social issues.[6]
She completed higher secondary studies at Maharani Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur. She further studied at Sri Venkateshwara College, Delhi University and studied theater at University of Alabama and Rutgers University.
Rashi did a children's theatre workshop at the National School of Drama. She participated in SNA Theatre Workshop, under Kanhai Lal at National Center for Performing Arts, Mumbai. After her graduation, Rashi pursued her training in Theatre Arts and Design at the University of Alabama and Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. She is a recipient of a Young Artist Scholarship And Junior Fellowship from department of Culture HRD and Ruby Lloyd Artistic and Academic Excellence award and Best International Student Scholarship Award. She acted as lead character in many plays, such as Beth Henley's Abundance and Jules Feiffer's Feiffer's People and worked with directors like Karma Ibsen, Ward Haarbauer, and Anne Carmichael.
On her return to India, she worked with Arvind Gaur to explore the new language for solo performances. Rashi acted in many plays with Asmita theatre. She received the Young Artist scholarship and worked under Shyamanand Jalan in Kolkata and was part of many productions, like Vijay Tendulkar's Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai (Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe) and Char Sau Karod Bhullakar. Nabh Taaron Se Khandit Pulkit, translated from an American dark comedy, was her directorial debut at Padatik. Under the MHRD fellowship, she has written a thesis on Padmashri Ratan Thiyam's Theatre based in Manipur.
Founding director of Banjara Theatre group at IIT Kharagpur, she has designed and directed many plays such as:
She directed many open-air productions like Daldal, Swaha-Swaha, Bandar Kaun, Girgit, Pahle Aap, Teen Apahij, Deewaren Kuchh Kehna Chahti Hain, and .
For the Children's Theatre Wing of Banjara, she has written and directed musicals like Veer Abhimani, Aazadi Muft Nahin, TunTun TunTun Tana Bana, Education Gives Real Freedom, Gopi Gayan Bagha Bayen and Beda Dekho Ki.
She conducted theatre workshop and directed the children's play Ujla Tota Sabz Pari, In the universe on a magical spree for Nehru Centre, Mumbai, 2007.
Bunny worked with many schools of repute like with Kena Kamal Becha Malamal adapted from Badal Sircar's Bengali play Hathamaler Paar in Sahayadri School, J Krishnamurty Foundation, and Pune.
These plays have been performed for theatre festivals, institutions and NGOs in India and abroad such as Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Muktibodh Natya Utsav, Vivechana National Theatre Festival, Fifth National Balaghat Theatre Festival, Mahindra's Old World Theatre Festival, World Dignity Forum, World Social Forum, Mumbai, The Bash-International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, Chennai, SATTA-Theatre festival on Power politics, Natrani Festival, Darpana Academy, Ahemdabad, Sahitya Kala Parishad Theatre festival of Best productions of the year, National Solo Theatre Festival, Manch Rangmanch, Punjab Naatshala, Amritsar, Nandikar 23rd National Theatre Festival, Kolkata, Chauraha NCPA, Mumbai, Chaiti, Bhanpura, Performance and Written Word, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Jawahar Kala Kendra Theatre Festival, Jaipur.
International festivals include ARMMONO-2 International One Man show festival, Yerevan, Armenia, The North Meetings, International Theatre festival, Niznevartovsk, Russia, ART’ sce`ne, festival international des arts de la sce`ne, France.
Rashi has conducted theatre workshops for engineering and management students at IITs, IIM, colleges in Delhi and Mumbai, and for children, youth and adults from all kinds of background and judged many drama competitions all over India. For India Habitat Centre she has conducted theatre workshops and was the coordinator for the Platform theatre.[9] She was guest faculty at NIFT and has lectured widely in schools, colleges, and institutes of repute in India and abroad. She participated in major theatre seminars and conferences all over world.
Rashi Bunny's mother is an alumnus of National School of Drama. Rashi's husband Dr. Parag Bhargava is a professor at IIT Bombay.
Rang Prasang, National School of Drama's Theatre Magazine, July–August, 2007, page 30'Vidusi Abhinatri' Rashi Bunny' by Jaidev Taneja (prominent drama critic)