India scores it's first producing Tony nomination on Broadway for The Sound Inside, which lands 6 Tony nominations

Sonia Mudbhatkal becomes the first Indian to score a producing Tony nomination (Best Play for The Sound Inside).

 

Considering Tony Awards is a part of the famed quartet EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), makes the nominations even more special for India.

 

At a time when Hollywood is consciously opening its gates to inclusivity and diversity, and Indian talent is gradually making its mark on and behind the screens internationally, here's a special first.

 

Sonia Mudbhatkal from Mumbai has been nominated for Best Play for The Sound Inside, one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful Broadway shows this season, reviewed as a "subliminal sublime thriller" by the New York Times and scoring 6 Tony Award nominations across six categories apart from Best Play, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Daniel Kluger), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Mary-Louise Parker), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Heather Gilbert), Best Sound Design of a Play (Daniel Kluger) and Best Direction of a Play (David Cromer). The Sound Inside is also one of rhe most awarded plays of the season with 7 honors including Best Play at the Outer Critics Awards held in New York City.

 

The Sound Inside is produced by her, Jeetendra Sonar and Chitra Mete, alongside veteran hollywood producer John Hart whose past work includes Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winning works like Broadway hits Chicago, Once, and The Band's Visit, and feature films like Revolutionary Road and Boys Don't Cry. It also marks the Broadway debut of well-known writer Adam Rapp. It stars Golden Globe, Emmy, and Tony winning actress Mary Louise Parker of The West Wing, Angels in America and Weeds fame in the lead role and is directed by Tony award winning director David Cromer.

 

On the eve of the awards, the producers are thrilled that The Sound Inside has been received so well on Broadway, and believe that the Tony nomination is a boost for Indian producing which is at the cusp of breaking out on the global scene in the near future. They continue "it's only when Indian producers start producing for the world, can the rest of the Indian talent like writers, directors, actors, technicians follow as they depend on the producer for putting together the picture or show".

 

Veteran producer John Hart adds, "Sonia and I have similar tastes and interests as producers and I hope we continue to collaborate together in theater, film and long form. Getting to know her as a person, and by extension the people of India, has been a great privilege and an invaluable "awakening" for me. Our countries have in common a shared passion for stories that matter and we should continue to collaborate and partake in one another's stories and worlds in a way that brings us closer together, no matter the politics of our times".

 

Sonia Mudbhatkal is a founder and producer at Continuum Media, a film, theatre and longform production company located in Los Angeles. She has previously worked in motion pictures with Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles.

 

Jeetendra Sonar is a businessman and founder of Los Angeles based production company Paarticle Media.

 

Chitra Mete is an entrepreneur and artist and the founder of the "Sumbaran" art foundation in Pune that promotes art and culture in India.

 

The 74th Tony Awards are scheduled to be held on September 27, 4.30 am IST at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway in New York City, and live streamed and televised by Paramount + and CBS