We bet you didn’t know this mind-blowing real story behind the much-talked about backstage childbirth scene shown in Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha teaser. Hear it from Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar herself.
The explosive teaser for Laxman Utekar’s upcoming musical drama, Eetha has taken the internet by story. Fans can’t stop gushing over Shraddha Kapoor‘s ferocious avatar in the sneak-peek. Many are asking a critical question: Who is the real-life figure behind this jaw-dropping narrative?
For the unversed, Eeetha is based on the life of Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar, the undisputed ‘Tamasha Samradini’ (Empress of Tamasha) who revolutionized Maharashtra’s folk theatre and Lavani traditions between 1940 and 1990.
In the recently released teaser, there is a sequence where Shraddha Kapoor’s heavily pregnant Eetha goes into labor backstage, gives birth, and then returns to perform a high‑energy Lavani. It looks unbelievable on screen, but this is not Bollywood exaggeration!
Vithabai, in a rare interview recorded by SPARROW (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women), once recalled this fateful night when she had no choice but to perform despite being in labor.
She shared, “My fourth son was going to be born any day. I had decided not to perform. But the agent said if I didn’t, no tickets would be sold. What could I do? I went along. Tickets began selling only after she arrived and within half an hour, the hall was packed.”
“When my turn came to go on stage, I danced like the devil, even doing my backbends. The pains started just before the climax. I told my daughters to continue singing to fill the gap. I went backstage. No doctor, no maid, nothing. God Mahadev was there to give me strength,” she continued.
I delivered the baby. I picked up a stone that was lying nearby and cut the umbilical cord. I put the baby aside and stood up. I opened my trunk, took out a fresh nine-yard sari, tucked it in tight and returned to the stage. I was greeted with many ‘once mores’,” Vithabai narrated.
One must say, Shraddha Kapoor’s viral dialogue, “Padi padi mari toh bechari kehlaungi, naachte hue mari toh misaal ban jaaungi”, from the teaser perfectly captures how Vithabai danced to survive in a grueling era for folk performers.
Eetha also slated to hit the theatrical screens on August 28, 2026. The film also stars Randeep Hooda and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in prominent roles.
