BROKEN NOTE
ஸ்ருதி பேதம்
(Sruti Bhedham)
A Musical Drama
Written by Anand Raghav
Directed by Dheepa Ramanujam
Separate shows in Tamil and English
English translation by Dheepa Ramanujam
Mar 13-21, 2026
Sunnyvale Theatre
Set in Tamil Nadu between the 1950s and 1990s, Broken Note (Sruti Bhedham) follows Nithya, a gifted Carnatic vocalist. Her father, a celebrated Carnatic music maestro, never publicly acknowledged Nithya’s mother. Raised in the shadow of his towering fame — and denied his love or even acknowledgement — Nithya grows up with simmering resentment. She chooses music — the very art that made him a legend — as her weapon of defiance. With relentless determination, she trains to surpass him on his own stage. But will she be able to conquer her own inner demons?
Broken Note (Sruti Bhedham) is a poignant drama that explores how music can wound, transform and ultimately heal.
Sruti Bhedham (ஸ்ருதி பேதம்) was originally written in Tamil. Broken Note is the English translation of the same play.The play will be staged in Tamil and English as separate shows.
Tamil & English | Ages 12+ | 130 min + intermission
Language - Separate shows in Tamil and English. The Tamil show is not supertitled.
Age advisory - 12+ The play is not written for children. Children of all ages must be able to sit quietly in the theatre.
Run time - 130 mins + 15 min intermission
Arrive Early for a Taste of Chennai!
Step into the vibrant world of Sruti Bhedham / Broken Note the moment you enter the theatre. Join us in the lobby 15 minutes before showtime for a special sensory experience of Chennai:
Sights & Sounds: Delight in the performances by our talented young dancers.
Traditional Flavors: Enjoy complimentary refreshments, including refreshing Neer Mor, sweet Panagam, and traditional Sundal.
Experience the atmosphere of an era gone by, soak in the color and culture, before taking your seats .
The show will begin on time.
Show Sponsor
Season Sponsor
The Cast of Sruti Bhedham & Broken Note
Karthik Ramachandran
Naveen Suravarpu
Akshaya Ganesh
Abhirami Shankar
Dheepa Ramanujam
Prithi Pichai
Naveen Nathan
Dilip Ratnam
Mahathi Tanjore Vijayakumar
Krithi Karthikeyan
Niveda Balan
Ram Rajagopalan
Yousuf Fauzan
Asha Ramesh
Deepa Sankaran
Divya Joshi
Gopinath Krishnamoorthy
Basab Pradhan
Karthikeyan Ganapathy (GK)
Anusha Balasubramanian
Wirda Razaq
Jeyalakshmi Ravichanthiran
Indu Rangamani
Ananth Karthik Sundarrajan
Vaishnavi Sridhar
Director
Dheepa Ramanujam is a seasoned director, actor, and producer whose creative journey spans over three decades. Upon moving to the United States in 2000, Dheepa formalized her craft through dedicated studies in direction and founded Krea, a Bay Area-based community theater group.
A familiar face in the South Indian film industry since 1995, Dheepa's acting career was launched under the legendary K. Balachander in the serial Premi. She has since starred in numerous films, television shows, and commercials, including her iconic role in the 2016 hit Pichaikkaran. Her technical expertise was further sharpened behind the scenes as Assistant Director on notable films like Achchamundu! Achchamundu!
Sruti Bhedham was first staged in 2005 in the Bay Area to overwhelming acclaim. Following its massive success, Dheepa took the production to India, where she received accolades from legends including her mentor Sri. K. Balachander.
In 2015,Dheepa took a ten-year sabbatical from the local theater scene to fulfill significant commitments in the film industry.
Now, she makes a highly anticipated return to the director's chair. Partnering with Bay Area Drama Company, she brings her critically acclaimed masterpiece back to life—directing both the Tamil Sruti Bhedham and its English counterpart Broken Note, bridging her cinematic legacy with her deep-rooted love for the stage and welcoming new audiences to experience this timeless story.
Music and Dance
| Music director | Asha Ramesh |
| Vocals | Asha Ramesh, Anil Narasimha, Roopa Mahadevan, Akshaya Ramanujam |
| Violin | Aditya Satyadeep, Sri Vidya Pamarthy |
| Mridangam | Vignesh Venkataraman, Srivathsa Pasumarthi |
| Recording Engineer | Srivathsa Pasumarthi |
| Mixing Engineer | Anish Mohan, Atrium Sound Studios, Chennai |
| Dance Choreography | Indumathy Ganesh |
Production Team
| Producer | Vaishnavi Sridhar |
| Stage Manager | Divya Balu |
| Stage Crew | Sathish Sattanathan (ASM), Vaishnavi Sridhar, Akshaya Ramanujam |
| Sets | Anuraag Bharadwaj, Sathish Sattanathan, Dilip Ratnam Sriram Palapudi, Lakshmi Ramachandran (set art) Deepa Sankaran (set art) |
| Props | Dheepa Ramanujam, Vaishnavi Sridhar, Jeyalakshmi Ravichanthiran, Lakshmi Ramachandran |
| Lights | Raven Manalo (designer) |
| Costumes | Aditi Honawar (designer), Dheepa Ramanujam, Deepa Sankaran |
| Makeup | Nitya Kansal (designer), Jeyalakshmi Ravichanthiran, Jithya Varatharajan, Dyuthy Ramachandran, Karthik Ramachandran, Anusha B. |
| Tech booth | Bob Martin, Michael Hickam |
| Marketing | Rita Bhatia, Dheepa Ramanujam (Videos) |
| Ticketing | Sathish Shenoy |
| Photography | Pranav Koundinya |
| Videography | Siva Balan |
Acknowledgements
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their generous support:
For loaning us musical instruments - Asha Ramesh, Girija Radhakrishnan, Anu Suresh, Kasthuri Shivakumar, Vaishnavi Sridhar, Karthik Ramachandran, and Deepa Sankaran.
For the Pre-Play Performance - Sridevi Jeyaraman and Sri Thillai Natya Palli.
For the Pre-Play Bhajan - TS Ranganathan and Giri.
To our Pre-Play Snacks Sponsor - Jay Jayaraman and Mylapore.
Special thanks to Umesh B, Jitendra Gupta, and MyYogaTeacher for leading pre-rehearsal exercises.