Eetha Trailer: Shraddha Kapoor Plays Tamasha Legend Vithabai Ahead of Dec. 4 Release

Maddock Films released the trailer for "Eetha," director Laxman Utekar's film starring Shraddha Kapoor as the Tamasha and Lavani performer Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar, on Friday, Oct. 30, at an event at Plaza Cinema in Dadar, Mumbai, NDTV reported. The film, produced by Dinesh Vijan, Laxman Utekar and Karishma Sharma under the Maddock Films and Kathputli Creations banners, is scheduled to open in theaters on Friday, Dec. 4, according to The Indian Express.

The trailer runs nearly three minutes, Zee News reported. According to The Indian Express, it opens with Kapoor in traditional Lavani attire performing before a large crowd, and moves between the character's public life as a celebrated performer and the difficulties she faces away from the stage. In one line quoted by the paper, the character says, "Naach ke muqable mein taqdeer bhi nahi jeet sakti," which The Indian Express translated as "Even destiny cannot win against you in a dance battle."

Filmfare reported that an early scene shows Kapoor's character throwing mud at a life-sized cutout of her own photograph, and that the trailer later returns her to the stage before large audiences. Near the end, the character defends her traditional Navvari saree as the pride and identity of the Maharashtrian people, The Indian Express reported.

Cast, crew and a launch at Plaza Cinema

Randeep Hooda, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Siddharth Jadhav and Anant Joshi also appear in the film, The Hindu reported. The music is composed by Ajay-Atul, the film is written by Kshitij Patwardhan and the cinematography is by Akash Agrawal, according to The Times of India, which reported that Hooda's first-look poster had introduced his character as Anna Sawant Merchant, Vithabai's husband.

The project reunites Utekar with Maddock Films after "Luka Chuppi" (2019), "Mimi" (2021), "Zara Hatke Zara Bachke" (2023) and "Chhaava" (2025), and returns Kapoor to the production house after its "Stree" films, The Indian Express reported. Film historian Dilip Thakur told IWMBuzz that Maddock had launched the "Chhaava" trailer at the same single-screen theater, which he said has operated since the 1930s and was where filmmaker V. Shantaram released his films.

Speaking about the role, Kapoor said, "It's a story about a woman whose art, courage and individuality make her unforgettable," according to statements carried by The Hindu and Zee News. "The more Laxman sir told me about the character, the more I felt connected to her world," she said. Utekar described the film as "the story of an artist who became a legacy" and said the team had "brought together authenticity, emotion and scale," both outlets reported.

At the launch, Kapoor said she was injured during filming. "There was also a mishap that happened while dancing on set. I had a muscle tear," she said, according to NDTV. Utekar told the gathering that the team held a one-week workshop with senior Lavani dancer Shakuntala Nagarkar, NDTV reported. Asked whether the makers had sought permission from Vithabai's family, Utekar said "Eetha" is not a direct biopic and draws on incidents documented in the book "Tamasha: Vithabaichya Ayushyache," according to the same report. Kapoor added, "this is not just Vithabai's story. It is a story of all those Tamasha artists, thousands of them."

Vijan praised Kapoor's casting on stage. "Only Shraddha can play this role," he said, according to The Free Press Journal, which reported that he also said, "You will know Shraddha Kapoor before Eetha and after Eetha." Hooda described the central character as a fighter. "Not all warriors carry swords. Some carry love," he said, News9 reported.

Who was Vithabai Narayangaonkar?

Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar was born in Pandharpur in 1935, grew up in a family of folk artists and began performing at a young age, The Indian Express reported. The Times of India reported that she earned the title Tamasha Samradni, which it translated as the Empress of Tamasha. The Hindu has reported that she received two President's awards, in 1957 and 1990.

One widely recounted episode from her career, which was depicted in the film's teaser, involves her going into labor during a Tamasha performance and delivering her baby backstage, according to The Indian Express. The paper also reported that she worked to secure state pensions for Tamasha artists, and that she died in January 2002 amid reports at the time that her family struggled to pay her hospital bills.

A December release after an August delay

"Eetha" was originally scheduled for release on Aug. 28. In August, Maddock Films moved it to Dec. 4, a shift The Indian Express reported came after Yash's "Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups" set an Aug. 26 release. At the time, the paper reported that the new date put "Eetha" against an untitled Anees Bazmee film starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan, one day after the scheduled Dec. 3 release of Prabhas' period war film "Fauzi."

The Hindu reported in August that "Eetha" is Kapoor's first theatrical release since "Stree 2." Following Friday's launch, the film remains scheduled for a nationwide theatrical release on Dec. 4, according to Zee News and Filmfare.