Shraddha Kapoor reveals she suffered muscle tear while shooting dance sequence for 'Eetha'

Shraddha Kapoor will be seen as a Lavani dancer in ‘Eetha’, a film loosely inspired by the life of Maharashtra’s celebrated folk performer Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar. The makers released the trailer of Laxman Utekar’s film on Friday at a special event at Plaza Cinema in Dadar, Mumbai.

The clip offers a first look at the world of Tamasha and Lavani.

Shraddha Kapoor on preparing for the role

At the trailer launch, Shraddha spoke about the effort that went into playing the folk artiste, as per an NDTV report. She said the process introduced her to many interesting people and a cultural world that was completely new to her. The preparation also brought a physical setback.Talking about an injury on set, Shraddha said, “I met very interesting people.

I went into a completely different world. There was also a mishap that happened while dancing on set. I had a muscle tear. But the team was so supportive. We had to stop the shoot because of his love and care; I could get back to shooting. So I had to understand Lavani; I had to practise a lot.”

Laxman Utekar on keeping the dance authentic

Director Laxman Utekar shared how the team worked to depict the traditional dance form honestly. He said they arranged a week-long workshop with veteran dancer Lavani Shakuntala Nagarkar.

“We had got a very senior Lavani dancer, Shakuntala Nagarkar, to our office. With her, we did a one-week workshop just to understand the aadaye and nazakat,” Laxman Utekar said.

Not a direct biopic of Vithabai

Laxman Utekar was asked if the makers had taken permission from Vithabai’s family. He clarified that ‘Eetha’ is not a direct biopic. The film takes inspiration from certain incidents recorded in the book ‘Tamasha: Vithabaichya Ayushyache’.Shraddha added that the story goes beyond one performer. “As he said, this is not just Vithabai’s story. It is a story of all those Tamasha artists, thousands of them,” she said.

Who was Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar?

Born in Pandharpur in 1935, Vithabai came from a family of folk performers and began performing at a young age. She became one of the best-known names in Maharashtra’s Tamasha and Lavani traditions. Her life was marked by notable artistic achievements as well as personal struggles.

Cast, crew and release date

‘Eetha’ is produced by Dinesh Vijan, Laxman Utekar and Karishma Sharma under Maddock Films and Kathputli Creations. It reunites Utekar with Maddock Films after ‘Luka Chuppi’, ‘Mimi’, ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ and ‘Chhaava’. For Shraddha, it is another collaboration with the banner after the ‘Stree’ franchise.The cast also includes Randeep Hooda, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Nana Patekar, Siddharth Jadhav, Anant Joshi, Akshara Singh and Ulka Gupta. Ajay-Atul has composed the music. The film releases in cinemas on December 4, 2026.