Hindi theatre
Encyclopedia
Hindi theatre primarily refers to theatre
performed in the Hindi language, including dialects such as Khari boli and Hindustani
. Hindi theatre is produced mainly in North India
, and some parts of West India
and Central India, which include Mumbai and Bhopal. Hindi theatre has its roots in the traditional folk theatre of North India, like Ram lila and Raslila, and also influenced by distant Sanskrit drama
. Starting with Bhartendu Harishchandra in late 19th century and subsequent playwrights like Jaishankar Prasad
, Mohan Rakesh
, Hindi theatre came of age in the 1940s and 50s, when IPTA
movement created a new brand of theatre practitioners in Hindi speaking areas, especially with IPTA Mumbai, Prithvi theatres and Habib Tanvir, paving way for next generation of artists who came out once National School of Drama
, Delhi started functioning in 1959.
meant the lasting and definite end of Sanskrit as everyday language and along with it theatre traditions, though it also gave birth to a synergistic traditions of Urdu
and Hindustani
languages, that developed in the aftermath of a fast amalgamating diverse cultures. Traditional folk theatre which included Ramlila, Raslila and nautanki
had evolved despite the absence of royal patronage and where it was present, as in the case Ramlila of Kashi Kingdom
, in Ramnagar, Varanasi
, it evolved into a highly evolved form, with shifting locations. Elsewhere in Awadh
, Wajid Ali Shah
had been experimenting forms like thumri
and stage style known as rahasa, it achieved a definite style in a play believed to be commissioned by him, Inder Sabha
, an Urdu play by Agha Hasan Amanat
, first staged in 1853.
Besides a separate tradition of Maithili
plays, which flourished in 17th century in present-day Bihar
, North India
had a pre-existing tradition of folk theatre, this included Braj Bhasa verse plays in 18th century, Swang, the operatic tradition, which featured full-throated male singers and dancing by female impersonators, which evolved from reciting popular folk ballads and epics, and by 1860s they were being performed across Meerut, Delhi and Banaras, and illustrated libretto
s, known as Sangits were being printed in Devanagari
script. In the coming decades, it too got influenced by Parsi theatre, and further developed in content both thematic and music, in 1890s onwards, which somewhere in early 20th-century started being called nautanki
, after the tale of a Nautanki Shahzadi became a popular theme. However this form lost much of its popularity and films made into road to rural area after 1940s.
Meanwhile, with the discovery of Kalidas’s Abhijnanasakuntalam
by Western scholars, it became the first Indian drama to be translated into a Western language, by Sir William Jones
in 1789. In the next 100 hundred years, there were at least 46 translations in twelve European languages. This in turn initiated a concerted study and interest of Sanskrit drama
tradition. In time the full extent of ancient Indian theatre's prowess came into light, which had been long lost, as classical Sanskrit drama mostly written from the 4th and 8th century AD faded out, with death of Sanskrit as a spoken language by 10th century, only to be discovered many centuries later.
Just as the first capital of British India, Calcutta, saw the rise of Bengali theatre
in the light of Bengal renaissance
early 19th century, at the same time Parsi
theatre was coming up in Mumbai, inspired by English-style playhouses which had come up in late 18th century in Mumbai and Kolkata, exclusively for the Raj gentry. Taking over the same proscenium stages, Parsi theatre took cue their European theatricality, but it brought in Indian themes, thus it "blended realism
and fantasy
, music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of melodrama
. The Parsi plays contained crude humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and dazzling stagecraft." Though it originally was in Gujarati language
, by 1870s, a flourishing Parsi theatre lead to the creation numerous travelling theatre companies, though they mostly used Indianized versions of Shakespeare’s plays initially, soon Indian legends, epic and mythological tales made an appearance as source material, as Parsi theare companies started travelling across North India, and employed native writers to churn out scripts in Hindustani
the popular language in the territory, akined to Urdu
, the court language in the Mughal era
. Interestingly, these sources had also provided themes to the native Swang tradition, leading to cross-enrichment after Victoria Natak Mandali became the first Parsi theatre company to perform in Varanasi, in 1875. These theatre companies presented their mix of pure entertainment and nationalism during the Indian freedom struggle. This return of written dramatic text to theatre, after centuries, made Parsi theatre not just the role model for the first Indian talkies, as numerous Paris theatre producers moved to cinema, but also gave birth to a theatre tradition, that continued even after Parsi theatre died out as the talkies made their first appearance. Panned by Hindi litterateurs, Bhartendu and Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi
, Parsi theatre through its veritable presence, however provoked the elite theatre of refinement as a clear reaction.
(1850–1885), a theatre actor, director, manager, and playwright based in Varanasi
(Banaras), who is also the father of modern Hindi literature
as in his short life of 35 years, he edited two magazines, Kavi vachan Sudha and Harishchandra chandrika, wrote numerous volumes of verse in Braj bhasa, essays and eighteen plays, thus laying the foundation of modern Hindi prose style. Well-versed in folk theatre styles and oral literary traditions of the region, he was influenced by the Bengal Renaissance
, however his principle influence was the ancient Sanskrit Drama, many of which he translated and established a stream of dramaturgy which has run parallel to development of the Western drama, though he even translated a Shakespeare's play. Rooted in the rising tide of Indian nationalism
, he is most noted for his politically charged plays like, Andher nagari (City of Darkness) written in 1881, a clear satire on the British Raj
, as it implied that a society which tolerates a lawless state is doomed to fail, and Neel Darpan (Indigo Mirror) on plight of indigo
-plantation worker under the British Raj, which used the Dramatic Performances Act
of 1876 to the ban many such subversive plays. Eventually Bharatendu became director of Hindi Natak Samaj (Hindu National Theatre) in Banaras.
After Bhartendu whose productions were largely funded by himself or at times by Maharaja of Kashi, Hindi theatre went through a phase of struggle, due to lack of sponsors, impresario
s or efficient theatre managers, thus there was hardly any professional theatre for many decades, discouraging writers to take to playwrighting, even works of important playwrights of this period, Jaishankar Prasad and Upendranath Ashk were mostly read, yet hardly staged. Prevalent conservatism didn't allow the female actors to take to stage and unlike Marathi theatre of Mumbai or Bengali theatre
of Calcutta, Hindi theatre remained a struggling force, despite the presence of a large audience, which went to the extent of the entertainment-driven Parsi theatre companies. Only a handful of amateur theatre groups presented their works at improvised or makeshift stages, in a period when like many popular writers, intellectuals too had turned away from theatre. The arrival of talkies in 1931, with Alam Ara
, meant outflow of Hindi theatre audience that had already dwindled away after the incursions by Parsi theatre across the Hindi-speaking belt. Soon theatre actors, director, writers and technicians followed suit, shifting to Mumbai, the base for Hindi cinema, where the promise of easy money from studios was too captivating to resist. As a result, numerous theatre companies and playhouses closed down and some started showing cinema, the new medium of the age. As the masses moved away from theatre, lured by the glitz of cinema, which Parsi theatre provided readily till now, theatre landscape was now populated by an educated and sophisticated audience, moving away from cinema in response to its escapism, looking for realistic and socially-relevant plays.
20th-century Hindi theatre received a fresh impetus through Indian People's Theatre Association
(IPTA). Though formed in 1942, with left-wing ideologies, after the All India People's Theatre Conference was held in Mumbai in 1943, IPTA Mumbai was formed An important contribution of IPTA was that it was first time that women started taking part in theatre in such a number. It created and inspired a generation of theatre practitioners and playwrights, like Krishan Chander
, Kaifi Azmi
, Balraj Sahni
, Mohan Segal, Dina Pathak
, Shanti Bardhan, Durga Khote
, and others, one of them was Prithviraj Kapoor
who found Prithvi Theatre
s, a travelling theatre troupe, based in Mumbai in 1944, with actors like Prithvi himself, apart from Uzra Butt
and Zohra Segal. The group was largely funded by Prithvirak Kapoor's film career and functioned till in 1960, when Prithviraj Kapoor’s ill health forced its closure before his death in 1964.
(SNA), The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama was established by Government of India
in 1952, to promote performing arts
. Another big change in the realm of Hindi theatre was the establishing of National School of Drama
in Delhi in 1959, which had Bharatiya Natya Sangh (BNS) as its precursor. BNS with the assistance from UNESCO
, independently established the 'Asian Theatre Institute' (ATI) in 1958, and in July 1958, ATI was taken over by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), and merged with new formed NSD, which initially functioned under Sangeet Natak Akademi before it became an autonomous organization. With its principal instruction language being Hindi, and stalwarts like Ebrahim Alkazi
and Shanta Gandhi
, in the coming decades its produced a number a noted theatre actors and directors. The 'National School of Drama' Repertory Company was set up in 1964, with actor-director Om Shivpuri
as its first head, followed by Manohar Singh
, and other actors like Uttara Baokar
, Sudha Shivpuri
and Surekha Sikri
. RADA
-trained Alkazi turned out to be the most influential director in the post-independence period, his Hindi productions of Sanskrit classics, like Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Dharamvir Bharati
's Andha Yug
, Girish Karnad
's Tughlaq and the realism of his take on Mohan Rakesh's Asadh Ka Ek Din brought a fresh approach to theatricality, and sophistication to Hindi theatre, and set up standards that inspired an entire generation. His landmark production of Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug, premiered in 1964 at the historic Firoz Shah Kotla and was attended by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
In the next few years, various states also formed their state academies for the arts, this gave boost to the theatre culture, and soon state capitals like Jaipur, Shimla, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Bhopal had their own theatre groups and culture. However for many years to come, theatre largely remained driven by amateur groups, as full-time theatre did not become a financially viable activity. Most could not afford extensive props
, scenery
, lighting design
, or newspaper advertisements and relied on word of mouth and small amount of postering. Many practitioners maintained regular jobs, either at educations institutions or in the corporate sector and rehearsed after working hours in hired spaces, as hardly any theatre group across Hindi theatre, owned their own infrastructure, be it rehearsal space or theatre. Theatre directors, often doubled as theatre managers, as impresarios were rare and impresario organizations even rarer, and now it was director's name that attracted the audience. As payments to cast and crew
remained arbitrary and severely dependent on the success of the show, many picked up work in other mediums. As state funding was never available for theatre directly, practitioners tried to gain corporate sponsorship, or "call shows" were done in other cities to raise money.
Gradually a number of theatre venues started coming up, both proscenium and experimental including, Sri Ram Centre, Kamani Auditorium, Meghdoot theatre (designed by Alkazi), NSD studio theatre, SNA studio theatre, Abhimanch and many others. While many directors like Alkazi staged plays at historical monuments and various innovative venues, street theatre
brought theatre out to the streets completely, including in its content. Just as IPTA-inspired, Jana Natya Manch
(JANAM) of Safdar Hashmi
did in 1970s and 80 as did M. K. Raina, who staged his notable production of Maxim Gorky
's The Mother in front of factories, inspiring many other practitioners to take theatre to the communities. Bhopal gas tragedy (1984) saw a new wave of protest presentations in many cities, just as Bhisham Sahni wrote Muavze (Compensation, 1990) later staged by Raina. Eventually Hashmi got killed in 1989, while his noted production Halla Bol (Attack) was being performed in front of a factory in Sahibabad near Delhi by political goons. Though by this time street theatre had been discovered as an important tool and medium, with notable directors like Bansi Kaul and Prasanna, street theatre had even reached prisons, slums and red-light areas.
Habib Tanvir
is another pioneer in Hindi theatre, who first moved to Mumbai in 1943 from native Bilaspur looking for work in Hindi films, that is when he came in contact with IPTA and Progressive Writers Association. He moved to Delhi in 1954 and joined hands with 'Hindustani theatre' of Begum Qudsia Zaidi, writer, and theatre director who had important impact on evolving theatre tradition in Delhi, who together with Habib Tanvir, made its debut with the production of an Hindi-Urdu version of Kalidas's Shakuntala and later produced Shudraka's Mrichakatika as Mitti Ki Gadi (Little Clay Cart) as an operatic version in nautanki
-style, using tribal artists. He successfully wrote and directed Agra Bazar (1954), before he left for England. After his return from RADA
, Habib began his work with Chhattisgarh
i tribals, at the Naya Theatre, a theatre company he founded in 1959 in Bhopal, and went on to include indigenous performance forms such as nacha to create a new theatrical language, later he wrote Charandas Chor (1975), Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damad and Kamdeo ka Apna Basant Ritu ka Sapna and notably staged, Asghar Wajahat
's Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya (1990). Apart from him, B. V. Karanth
too brought in folk forms into his work, staged many productions in Hindi, especially during his stint with the Rangamandal repertory at the Bharat Bhavan
in Bhopal.
Kolkata
-based, Shyamanand Jalan
(1934–2010) is credited for the renaissance period of modern Indian theatre and especially the Hindi theatre in Kolkata from the 1960s to 1980s. He was the first to perform modernist Mohan Rakesh
, starting with his magnum opus Ashadh Ka Ek Din
(One Day in Ashad) in 1960. and in the coming years bridged the gap between Hindi theatre and Bengali theatre
, by mounting Hindi productions of works by Bengali playwrights, like Badal Sircar's Evam Indrajit (1968) and Pagla Ghora (1971), which in turn introduced Sircar to rest of the country. He co-founded theatre group Anamika in 1955 with Pratibha Aggarwal, a Hindi writer and a great granddaughter of Bhartendu Harishchandra, which played a pioneering role in the revival of Hindi theatre., and remained with it till 1972, and during this period it created a large audience for Hindi theatre in Bengali speaking Kolkata. Subsequently along with his wife Chetana Jalan, the well-known Kathak dancer and stage actress, and actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda
, he left Anamika in 1971 and established Padatik (literally foot-soldier) theatre group in 1972, of which he was the founding director. This gave him a chance to venture into bolder themes, like those in Vijay Tendukar's plays like
Gidhade (The Vultures) (1973) and Sakharam Binder (1979), and Mahashweta Devi's Hazar Chaurasi Ki Ma (Mother of 1084) (1978), with his new venture he stepped beyond Indianism, modernism, or experimentalism. Another theatre director, who practiced Hindi theatre in Kolkata, which is largely Bengali speaking area was Usha Ganguly
(b. 1945), who founded Rangkarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from her, theatre directors like, Satyadev Dubey
, Dinesh Thakur
and Nadira Babbar
also practiced Hindi theatre in Mumbai, till then home for Marathi and Gujarati theatre.
In the 60s and 70s many actors from National School of Drama started working in Hindi films, though many continued theatre activities on the side. Many theatre actors and directors, like Om Shivpuri, who had formed Dishantar theatre group in Mumbai, and Dina Pathak worked successful in mainstream cinema as well, while many others, along with FTII, Pune actors, made name in the Parallel cinema
, which came of age in late 1970s. This included, Sai Paranjpye, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor. Most colleges now had their own theatre societies, which became breeding ground for future practitioners. Later in 1980s, with increasing popularity of television soap operas, home videos and cable TV, audience moved away from theatre for a while, before theatre resurrected itself in the late 1990s with a new breed of theatre directors who sought not just new themes and narratives, but also took to absurd, expressionist
, experimental
and improvisational theatre
with greater zeal. They also started to find sponsors in the corporate sector and numerous theatre directors were able to sustain themselves on theatre alone. Two challenges that came up in the coming years was that even now actors took their theatre careers as a prep for film careers, and secondly most theatre actors learned via working in theatre groups, as avenues of theatre education remained limited, though some organization that opened in other cities beyond Delhi, like Jaipur, Lucknow, and Chandigarh, which had playwright-director Balwant Gargi
guiding new phase of theatre, offered young aspirants to learn the craft.
Just as Bhartendu Harishchandra wrote Satya Harishchandra (1875), Bharat Durdasha (1876) and Andher Nagari (1878), in late 19th century, Jaishankar Prasad
became the next big figure in Hindi playwriting with plays like Skanda Gupta (1928), Chandragupta (1931) and Dhruvswamini (1933), Maithili Sharan Gupt
also wrote three plays, Tilottama (1916), Chandrahaas (1921) and Anagha (1925). The next phase of important plays after Prasad, came with Badrinath Bhatt, next it was Lakshminarayan Mishra's work which broke away from existing pattern of subject treatment and presentation and is known for its realism, and unmistakable influence of Isben as seen in Sansyasi (1931), Raksha Ka Mandir (1931), Mukti ka rahasya (1932), Rajyoga (1934) and Sindoor ki Holi (1934), which tackle social problem with marked directness. An important event in this period was establishment of Hans, a literary magazine based in Varanasi, by noted writer Premchand in 1938, which published numerous imporatant one-act plays in the coming years, further giving boost to the craft.
Post-independence the emerging republic threw up new issues for playwrights to tackle and express, and Hindi playwriting showed greater brevity and symbolism, but it was not as prolific as in case with Hindi poetry or fiction. Yet we have playwrights like Jagdish Chandra Mathur (Konark) and Upendranath Ashk (Anjo Didi), who displayed a steadily evolving understanding of thematic development, theatrical constraints
and stagecraft
, and Gyandev Agnihotri stood out for his symbolism, wit and satire as visible in classic Shuturmurg written in 1960s. before moving into screenwriting for Hindi films in the 1970s.
The first important play of 20th century was Andha Yug
(The Blind Epoch), by Dharamvir Bharati
, which came in 1953, found in Mahabharat, both an ideal source and expression of modern discontent and predicament of a society riddled with corruption. Starting with Ebrahim Alkazi
it was staged by numerous directors. With his verse play Uttar Priyadarshini, Agyeya found the story Ashoka
's redemption, reflecting the modern call for peace. Ashadh Ka Ek Din
(One Day in Ashadh), the debut play of modernist Mohan Rakesh
was published in 1958, based on the life of Sanskrit
dramatist Kalidas
, and is considered the first Modern Hindi play. Mohan Rakesh went on to write two more plays, Aadhe Adhure (Halfway House) and Leheron Ke Raj Hans (Great Swans of the Waves) and left one, Paon Taley Ki Zameen (Ground beneath the Feet) unfinished by the time of his death in 1972, but he had shifted the landscape of Hindi theatre. Today, his rise as a prominent playwright in 1960s is seen as the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Bengali
, just as Vijay Tendulkar
did it in Marathi, Badal Sircar in Bengali, and Girish Karnad
in Kannada. His plays have now become classics of Indian theatre, have been performed by almost every major Indian theatre director and have been part of the University curriculum in Hindi-speaking areas.
Initially inspired by western dramaturgy
, in structure and movement, many initial playwrights adapted Isben and Brecht
, but soon returned to roots and found both content and form, giving birth to the movement called "theatre of the roots", a concerted attempt to decolonize Indian theatre and distance itself from western theatre. Be it Habib Tanvir's Agra Bazar (1954) and Charandas Chor (1975), which brought in new indigenous forms of expression, On the other hand there were younger playwrights like Surendra Verma
, with his Surya Ki Antim Kiran Se Surya Ki Pahli Kiran Tak (From Sunset to Sunrise, 1972), Draupadi and Athwan sarga (Eighth Chapter, 1976), rapidly experimented with forms and formats, and writers who ventured into playwrighting to produced important works, like Bhisham Sahni
who has been associated with both IPTA and Progressive Writers Association, most noted for his partition
-novel Tamas wrote, Hanush (1977), Madhavi (1982) and Muavze (1993).
Over the years the repertoire of Hindi plays has expanded to included translated and adapted works of successful playwrights from other languages, like Vijay Tendulkar
, Girish Karnad
, Mahesh Elkunchwar
, G. P. Deshpande
and Badal Sircar (Evam Indrajit, 1963, Pagla Ghoda, 1967).
Danish Iqbal’s Dara Shikoh is a modern classic which was staged by director M S Sathyu. In the words of noted critic Ramesh Chand Charlie Dara Shikoh is a turning point of traditional theatrical sensibilities. Use of Wali Deccani's period poetry provides this Play with a very rare artistic and historical context. Dazzling use of Kathak choreography by Rani Khanum and her Troupe, and authentic costumes including head gear, swords and period art work was a treat for the eyes. This Play had a good run at cities like Delhi, Gurgaon and Banglore.
Another notable Drama of Danish Iqbal is Dilli jo ek Shehr Thaa depicts the life and times of a Delhi lost during the invasion of Nadir Shah. He was awarded Mohan Rakesh Samman for this Play by the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit. Recently this Play was staged by Bharti Sharma of Kshitij Group and had Delhi audience mesmerized by its production values and grandeur.
Danish also wrote Sahir on the life and times of Sahir Ludhyanvi which was staged in Delhi for a packed audience and became a landmark production for the use of old film songs as part of Dramatic Narrative. Directed by NRI Director Pramila Le Hunt this play became a commercial success and had audience wishing more and more of Sahir. Danish Iqbal also wrote Kuchh Ishq Kiya Kuchh Kaam on the life and work of legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
and Sarah Ka Sara Aasman on the poetess Sarah Shagufta, besides the biographical Drama 'Ghalib' which used Ghalib's poetry for the basic narrative and was staged at Dubai for the expatriate Indian Community. Danish had also given the block buster 'Woh Akhiri Hichki' and 'Ek Thi Amrita'(on the life and times of Amrita Pritam
) and some other early works. In recent years he has been using lot of elements of Cinema and mass media to bring theatrical sensibilities closer to the audiences fed with lot of Bollywood. It is a pity that his collected work is not available till now although few versions of 'Dara Shikoh' and 'Ghalib' are available but Dara Shikoh being a costly historical costume Drama it is not easy to stage such a demanding production. 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' has all the markings of a classic stage play combining high voltage conflict with realistic characterizations, treacherous conspiracies, romance, poetry, dances and catchy dialogues.
Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi' 'Big B' and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.
Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant Play. He has been associated with many groups like 'Natwa' and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generation Sayeed, Shahid, Danish and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition.
which had also began with Bhartendu, saw new voices emerging in the mid-20th century, like Lakshmi Narayan Lal, which were now subjecting recent Indian playwriting to touchstone of Isben and other western masters. Leading theatre critics were now employed by national dailies, this included Ramesh Chander and Nemichand Jain, and soon a second generation theatre criticism came to the fore in 1960s, with Kavita Nagpal, Jaidev Taneja, and others. Literary journal also started having sections devoted to theatre criticism and many magazines now ran theatre review columns. In this period, a theatre journal Natrang edited by NC Jain started publishing, similar journal were brought out by state-run academies like, Sangit Natak by Sangeet Natak Akademi
in Delhi, Rangyog at Rajasthan Academy in Jodhpur, and Chhayanat by Uttar Pradesh Academy in Lucknow. Another important development was the rise of documentation, academic research in various streams of Indian theatre by increasing number of theatre scholars, like Kapila Vatsyayan, Anuradha Kapoor and N C Jain.
Theatre in India
The earliest form of the theatre of India was the Sanskrit theatre. It began after the development of Greek and Roman theatre and before the development of theatre in other parts of Asia...
performed in the Hindi language, including dialects such as Khari boli and Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
. Hindi theatre is produced mainly in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, and some parts of West India
West India
West India or the Western region of India consists of the states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, along with the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It is highly industrialized, with a large urban population. Most of Western India was part of the Maratha Empire before...
and Central India, which include Mumbai and Bhopal. Hindi theatre has its roots in the traditional folk theatre of North India, like Ram lila and Raslila, and also influenced by distant Sanskrit drama
Sanskrit drama
The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.Its...
. Starting with Bhartendu Harishchandra in late 19th century and subsequent playwrights like Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad , one of the most famous figures in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre.- Biography :...
, Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani literary movement of the Hindi literature in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din , which won a competition organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi...
, Hindi theatre came of age in the 1940s and 50s, when IPTA
Ipta
IPTA can refer to:* Indian People's Theatre Association* International Pulsar Timing Array...
movement created a new brand of theatre practitioners in Hindi speaking areas, especially with IPTA Mumbai, Prithvi theatres and Habib Tanvir, paving way for next generation of artists who came out once National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
, Delhi started functioning in 1959.
Early history
The advent of Mughal empireMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
meant the lasting and definite end of Sanskrit as everyday language and along with it theatre traditions, though it also gave birth to a synergistic traditions of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
languages, that developed in the aftermath of a fast amalgamating diverse cultures. Traditional folk theatre which included Ramlila, Raslila and nautanki
Nautanki
Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theater performance traditions of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood , Nautanki was the single most popular form of entertainment in the villages and towns of northern India...
had evolved despite the absence of royal patronage and where it was present, as in the case Ramlila of Kashi Kingdom
Kingdom of Kashi
The Kingdom of Kashi was an independent Bhumihar Brahmin state until 1194, became a British territory in 1775, and became a state in 1911. It is the site of Ramnagar Fort and its museum, which are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares and since the 18th century has been the home of...
, in Ramnagar, Varanasi
Ramnagar, Varanasi
Ramnagar is a city and a municipal board in Varanasi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ramnagar has a fort known as Ramnagar Fort which is still the residence of King of Varanasi . He was known as Kashi Naresh meaning king of Kashi and is still regarded by old residents of the city of...
, it evolved into a highly evolved form, with shifting locations. Elsewhere in Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
, Wajid Ali Shah
Wajid Ali Shah
Wajid Ali Shah was the fifth King of Oudh, holding the position from 13 February 1847 to 7 February 1856....
had been experimenting forms like thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
and stage style known as rahasa, it achieved a definite style in a play believed to be commissioned by him, Inder Sabha
Inder Sabha
Inder Sabha is an Urdu play and opera written by Agha Hasan Amanat, and first staged in 1853. It is regarded as the first complete Urdu stage play ever written. The play was translated into German in 1863 by Friedrich Rosen, and published to positive critical reception...
, an Urdu play by Agha Hasan Amanat
Agha Hasan Amanat
Agha Hasan Amanat was an Urdu poet, writer and playwright of the nineteenth century from the Indian city of Lucknow. He was affiliated with the court of Wajid Ali Shah, the princely ruler of Awadh. His name was Agha Hasan Ali, while "Amanat" was his nom de plume . He is also referred to as Amanat...
, first staged in 1853.
Besides a separate tradition of Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
plays, which flourished in 17th century in present-day Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
had a pre-existing tradition of folk theatre, this included Braj Bhasa verse plays in 18th century, Swang, the operatic tradition, which featured full-throated male singers and dancing by female impersonators, which evolved from reciting popular folk ballads and epics, and by 1860s they were being performed across Meerut, Delhi and Banaras, and illustrated libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
s, known as Sangits were being printed in Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
script. In the coming decades, it too got influenced by Parsi theatre, and further developed in content both thematic and music, in 1890s onwards, which somewhere in early 20th-century started being called nautanki
Nautanki
Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theater performance traditions of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood , Nautanki was the single most popular form of entertainment in the villages and towns of northern India...
, after the tale of a Nautanki Shahzadi became a popular theme. However this form lost much of its popularity and films made into road to rural area after 1940s.
Meanwhile, with the discovery of Kalidas’s Abhijnanasakuntalam
Abhijñānaśākuntalam
Abhijñānashākuntala or Abhijñānaśākuntalam) , is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BCE and 4th century CE....
by Western scholars, it became the first Indian drama to be translated into a Western language, by Sir William Jones
William Jones (philologist)
Sir William Jones was an English philologist and scholar of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages...
in 1789. In the next 100 hundred years, there were at least 46 translations in twelve European languages. This in turn initiated a concerted study and interest of Sanskrit drama
Sanskrit drama
The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.Its...
tradition. In time the full extent of ancient Indian theatre's prowess came into light, which had been long lost, as classical Sanskrit drama mostly written from the 4th and 8th century AD faded out, with death of Sanskrit as a spoken language by 10th century, only to be discovered many centuries later.
Just as the first capital of British India, Calcutta, saw the rise of Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
in the light of Bengal renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
early 19th century, at the same time Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
theatre was coming up in Mumbai, inspired by English-style playhouses which had come up in late 18th century in Mumbai and Kolkata, exclusively for the Raj gentry. Taking over the same proscenium stages, Parsi theatre took cue their European theatricality, but it brought in Indian themes, thus it "blended realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
. The Parsi plays contained crude humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and dazzling stagecraft." Though it originally was in Gujarati language
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, by 1870s, a flourishing Parsi theatre lead to the creation numerous travelling theatre companies, though they mostly used Indianized versions of Shakespeare’s plays initially, soon Indian legends, epic and mythological tales made an appearance as source material, as Parsi theare companies started travelling across North India, and employed native writers to churn out scripts in Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
the popular language in the territory, akined to Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, the court language in the Mughal era
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
. Interestingly, these sources had also provided themes to the native Swang tradition, leading to cross-enrichment after Victoria Natak Mandali became the first Parsi theatre company to perform in Varanasi, in 1875. These theatre companies presented their mix of pure entertainment and nationalism during the Indian freedom struggle. This return of written dramatic text to theatre, after centuries, made Parsi theatre not just the role model for the first Indian talkies, as numerous Paris theatre producers moved to cinema, but also gave birth to a theatre tradition, that continued even after Parsi theatre died out as the talkies made their first appearance. Panned by Hindi litterateurs, Bhartendu and Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi was a noted Indian Hindi writer. Adhunikkaal, or the Modern period of the Hindi literature is divided into four phases, and he represents the second phase, known as the Dwivedi Yug after him, which was preceded by the Bharatendu Yug , followed by the Chhayavad Yug and the...
, Parsi theatre through its veritable presence, however provoked the elite theatre of refinement as a clear reaction.
Modern Hindi theatre 1868 and after
Early development of modern Hindi theatre can be traced to the work of Bharatendu HarishchandraBharatendu Harishchandra
Bharatendu Harishchandra is known as the father of modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre. He is considered one of the greatest Hindi writers of modern India. A recognized poet, he was also a trend setter in Hindi prose-writing...
(1850–1885), a theatre actor, director, manager, and playwright based in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
(Banaras), who is also the father of modern Hindi literature
Hindi literature
Hindi literature , is broadly divided into four prominent forms or styles, being Bhakti ; Shringar ; Veer-Gatha ; and Adhunik...
as in his short life of 35 years, he edited two magazines, Kavi vachan Sudha and Harishchandra chandrika, wrote numerous volumes of verse in Braj bhasa, essays and eighteen plays, thus laying the foundation of modern Hindi prose style. Well-versed in folk theatre styles and oral literary traditions of the region, he was influenced by the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
, however his principle influence was the ancient Sanskrit Drama, many of which he translated and established a stream of dramaturgy which has run parallel to development of the Western drama, though he even translated a Shakespeare's play. Rooted in the rising tide of Indian nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, he is most noted for his politically charged plays like, Andher nagari (City of Darkness) written in 1881, a clear satire on the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, as it implied that a society which tolerates a lawless state is doomed to fail, and Neel Darpan (Indigo Mirror) on plight of indigo
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
-plantation worker under the British Raj, which used the Dramatic Performances Act
Dramatic Performances Act
The Dramatic Performances Act was implemented by the British Raj in India in the year 1876 to police seditious Indian theatre. India, being a colony of the British Empire had begun using the theatre as a tool of protest against the oppressive nature of the colonial rule...
of 1876 to the ban many such subversive plays. Eventually Bharatendu became director of Hindi Natak Samaj (Hindu National Theatre) in Banaras.
After Bhartendu whose productions were largely funded by himself or at times by Maharaja of Kashi, Hindi theatre went through a phase of struggle, due to lack of sponsors, impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
s or efficient theatre managers, thus there was hardly any professional theatre for many decades, discouraging writers to take to playwrighting, even works of important playwrights of this period, Jaishankar Prasad and Upendranath Ashk were mostly read, yet hardly staged. Prevalent conservatism didn't allow the female actors to take to stage and unlike Marathi theatre of Mumbai or Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
of Calcutta, Hindi theatre remained a struggling force, despite the presence of a large audience, which went to the extent of the entertainment-driven Parsi theatre companies. Only a handful of amateur theatre groups presented their works at improvised or makeshift stages, in a period when like many popular writers, intellectuals too had turned away from theatre. The arrival of talkies in 1931, with Alam Ara
Alam Ara
Alam Ara is a 1931 film directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first Indian sound film.Irani recognized the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete Alam Ara before several contemporary sound films. Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai on March 14, 1931...
, meant outflow of Hindi theatre audience that had already dwindled away after the incursions by Parsi theatre across the Hindi-speaking belt. Soon theatre actors, director, writers and technicians followed suit, shifting to Mumbai, the base for Hindi cinema, where the promise of easy money from studios was too captivating to resist. As a result, numerous theatre companies and playhouses closed down and some started showing cinema, the new medium of the age. As the masses moved away from theatre, lured by the glitz of cinema, which Parsi theatre provided readily till now, theatre landscape was now populated by an educated and sophisticated audience, moving away from cinema in response to its escapism, looking for realistic and socially-relevant plays.
20th-century Hindi theatre received a fresh impetus through Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People’s Theatre Association was an association of leftist theatre-artists and others mostly based in Kolkata, West Bengal, Mumbai and Assam, India. Its goal was to bring cultural awakening among the people of India. It was the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India...
(IPTA). Though formed in 1942, with left-wing ideologies, after the All India People's Theatre Conference was held in Mumbai in 1943, IPTA Mumbai was formed An important contribution of IPTA was that it was first time that women started taking part in theatre in such a number. It created and inspired a generation of theatre practitioners and playwrights, like Krishan Chander
Krishan Chander
Krishan Chander was an Urdu and Hindi Afsaana Nigaar, or short story writer. He wrote mainly in Urdu, but was well-versed in Hindi and English....
, Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi was an Indian Urdu poet. He is considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.-Early life:...
, Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni , born Yudhishthir Sahni , was a famous Hindi film actor. He belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family from Bhera now in Punjab, Pakistan...
, Mohan Segal, Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak or Deena Pathak was a veteran actor and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actor. She was also a woman activist and remained the President of the 'National Federation of Indian Women'...
, Shanti Bardhan, Durga Khote
Durga Khote
Durga Khote was an Indian actress, starting as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in around 200 films and numerous theatre productions....
, and others, one of them was Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
who found Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
s, a travelling theatre troupe, based in Mumbai in 1944, with actors like Prithvi himself, apart from Uzra Butt
Uzra Butt
Uzra Butt was a theatre personality of the Indian sub-continent, who moved to Pakistan in 1964. She was the sister of theatre and Bollywood film actress Zohra Segal, who, unlike her, lived in India....
and Zohra Segal. The group was largely funded by Prithvirak Kapoor's film career and functioned till in 1960, when Prithviraj Kapoor’s ill health forced its closure before his death in 1964.
Post-independence
Sangeet Natak AkademiSangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
(SNA), The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama was established by Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in 1952, to promote performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. Another big change in the realm of Hindi theatre was the establishing of National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
in Delhi in 1959, which had Bharatiya Natya Sangh (BNS) as its precursor. BNS with the assistance from UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, independently established the 'Asian Theatre Institute' (ATI) in 1958, and in July 1958, ATI was taken over by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), and merged with new formed NSD, which initially functioned under Sangeet Natak Akademi before it became an autonomous organization. With its principal instruction language being Hindi, and stalwarts like Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
and Shanta Gandhi
Shanta Gandhi
Shanta Gandhi was an Indian theatre director, dancer and playwright. She was a founder-member of the central ballet troupe of the Indian People's Theatre Association , and toured the country widely through the 1950s...
, in the coming decades its produced a number a noted theatre actors and directors. The 'National School of Drama' Repertory Company was set up in 1964, with actor-director Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri was an Indian theatre actor-director and character actor in Hindi films.A National School of Drama, New Delhi alumni, Om Shivpuri became the first chief of the National School of Drama Repertory Company and one of its actors; he later founded an important theatre group of its era, in...
as its first head, followed by Manohar Singh
Manohar Singh
Manohar Singh was a distinguished Indian theatre actor-director and a character actor in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party and Daddy...
, and other actors like Uttara Baokar
Uttara Baokar
Uttara Baokar is an Indian stage actor, who also acts in both on films and television. An alumna of National School of Drama, she remained lead actress with the NSD Repertory Company in the 1970s and '80s, a period which saw the revival of Hindi theatre in Delhi, before moving to television and...
, Sudha Shivpuri
Sudha Shivpuri
Sudha Shivpuri is a noted TV actress, who is most famous for her role as 'Baa' in the Hindi TV serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi .-Early life:...
and Surekha Sikri
Surekha Sikri
Surekha Sikri or Surekha Sikri Rege is Indian film, theatre and TV actor. She has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress twice, for her role in Tamas in 1988 and for Mammo in 1995.-Early life and background:...
. RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
-trained Alkazi turned out to be the most influential director in the post-independence period, his Hindi productions of Sanskrit classics, like Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Dharamvir Bharati
Dharamvir Bharati
Dr. Dharamvir Bharati was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the Chief-Editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug....
's Andha Yug
Andha Yug
Andha Yug is 1954 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati . It was the first important play of 20th century India...
, Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
's Tughlaq and the realism of his take on Mohan Rakesh's Asadh Ka Ek Din brought a fresh approach to theatricality, and sophistication to Hindi theatre, and set up standards that inspired an entire generation. His landmark production of Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug, premiered in 1964 at the historic Firoz Shah Kotla and was attended by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
In the next few years, various states also formed their state academies for the arts, this gave boost to the theatre culture, and soon state capitals like Jaipur, Shimla, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Bhopal had their own theatre groups and culture. However for many years to come, theatre largely remained driven by amateur groups, as full-time theatre did not become a financially viable activity. Most could not afford extensive props
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
, scenery
Theatrical scenery
Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a theatrical production. Scenery may be just about anything, from a single chair to an elaborately re-created street, no matter how large or how small, whether or not the item was custom-made or is, in fact, the genuine item, appropriated...
, lighting design
Lighting designer
The role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
, or newspaper advertisements and relied on word of mouth and small amount of postering. Many practitioners maintained regular jobs, either at educations institutions or in the corporate sector and rehearsed after working hours in hired spaces, as hardly any theatre group across Hindi theatre, owned their own infrastructure, be it rehearsal space or theatre. Theatre directors, often doubled as theatre managers, as impresarios were rare and impresario organizations even rarer, and now it was director's name that attracted the audience. As payments to cast and crew
Technical crew
The Technical crew, often abbreviated to "tech crew" or "technicians", are the individuals employed behind the scenes who control all the technical aspects of creating a concert, play, musical, opera or other live performance...
remained arbitrary and severely dependent on the success of the show, many picked up work in other mediums. As state funding was never available for theatre directly, practitioners tried to gain corporate sponsorship, or "call shows" were done in other cities to raise money.
Gradually a number of theatre venues started coming up, both proscenium and experimental including, Sri Ram Centre, Kamani Auditorium, Meghdoot theatre (designed by Alkazi), NSD studio theatre, SNA studio theatre, Abhimanch and many others. While many directors like Alkazi staged plays at historical monuments and various innovative venues, street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
brought theatre out to the streets completely, including in its content. Just as IPTA-inspired, Jana Natya Manch
Jana Natya Manch
Jana Natya Manch is a New Delhi-based amateur theatre company specializing in left-wing street theatre in Hindi. It was founded in 1973 by a group of Delhi's radical theatre amateurs, who sought to take theatre to the people...
(JANAM) of Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi was a Communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and theorist, chiefly associated with Street theatre in India, and is still considered an important voice in political theatre in India....
did in 1970s and 80 as did M. K. Raina, who staged his notable production of Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
's The Mother in front of factories, inspiring many other practitioners to take theatre to the communities. Bhopal gas tragedy (1984) saw a new wave of protest presentations in many cities, just as Bhisham Sahni wrote Muavze (Compensation, 1990) later staged by Raina. Eventually Hashmi got killed in 1989, while his noted production Halla Bol (Attack) was being performed in front of a factory in Sahibabad near Delhi by political goons. Though by this time street theatre had been discovered as an important tool and medium, with notable directors like Bansi Kaul and Prasanna, street theatre had even reached prisons, slums and red-light areas.
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor...
is another pioneer in Hindi theatre, who first moved to Mumbai in 1943 from native Bilaspur looking for work in Hindi films, that is when he came in contact with IPTA and Progressive Writers Association. He moved to Delhi in 1954 and joined hands with 'Hindustani theatre' of Begum Qudsia Zaidi, writer, and theatre director who had important impact on evolving theatre tradition in Delhi, who together with Habib Tanvir, made its debut with the production of an Hindi-Urdu version of Kalidas's Shakuntala and later produced Shudraka's Mrichakatika as Mitti Ki Gadi (Little Clay Cart) as an operatic version in nautanki
Nautanki
Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theater performance traditions of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood , Nautanki was the single most popular form of entertainment in the villages and towns of northern India...
-style, using tribal artists. He successfully wrote and directed Agra Bazar (1954), before he left for England. After his return from RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
, Habib began his work with Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
i tribals, at the Naya Theatre, a theatre company he founded in 1959 in Bhopal, and went on to include indigenous performance forms such as nacha to create a new theatrical language, later he wrote Charandas Chor (1975), Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damad and Kamdeo ka Apna Basant Ritu ka Sapna and notably staged, Asghar Wajahat
Asghar Wajahat
Syed Asghar Wajahat, popularly known as Asghar Wajahat , is a Hindi scholar, fiction writer, novelist, playwright, an independent documentary filmmaker and a television scriptwriter, who is most known for his work, 'Saat Aasmaan' and his acclaimed play, 'Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, O Jamyai Nai', based...
's Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya (1990). Apart from him, B. V. Karanth
B. V. Karanth
Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth was a renowned film and theatre personality from India...
too brought in folk forms into his work, staged many productions in Hindi, especially during his stint with the Rangamandal repertory at the Bharat Bhavan
Bharat Bhavan
thumb|350px|Bharat Bhavan, [[Bhopal]]Bharat Bhavan is a multi-arts complex without parallel in Bhopal, India housing a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a repertory theater, indoor and outdoor auditoria, rehearsal room, and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk...
in Bhopal.
Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
-based, Shyamanand Jalan
Shyamanand Jalan
Shyamanand Jalan was an influential Kolkata-based Indian thespian, theatre director, and actor. He is credited for the renaissance period of modern Indian theatre and especially the Hindi theatre in Kolkata from the 1960s to 1980s...
(1934–2010) is credited for the renaissance period of modern Indian theatre and especially the Hindi theatre in Kolkata from the 1960s to 1980s. He was the first to perform modernist Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani literary movement of the Hindi literature in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din , which won a competition organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi...
, starting with his magnum opus Ashadh Ka Ek Din
Ashadh Ka Ek Din
Ashadh Ka Ek Din is a debut Hindi play by Mohan Rakesh in 1958 and is considered the first Modern Hindi play. The play received a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for best play in 1959 and has been staged by several prominent directors to critical acclaim...
(One Day in Ashad) in 1960. and in the coming years bridged the gap between Hindi theatre and Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
, by mounting Hindi productions of works by Bengali playwrights, like Badal Sircar's Evam Indrajit (1968) and Pagla Ghora (1971), which in turn introduced Sircar to rest of the country. He co-founded theatre group Anamika in 1955 with Pratibha Aggarwal, a Hindi writer and a great granddaughter of Bhartendu Harishchandra, which played a pioneering role in the revival of Hindi theatre., and remained with it till 1972, and during this period it created a large audience for Hindi theatre in Bengali speaking Kolkata. Subsequently along with his wife Chetana Jalan, the well-known Kathak dancer and stage actress, and actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
, he left Anamika in 1971 and established Padatik (literally foot-soldier) theatre group in 1972, of which he was the founding director. This gave him a chance to venture into bolder themes, like those in Vijay Tendukar's plays like
Gidhade (The Vultures) (1973) and Sakharam Binder (1979), and Mahashweta Devi's Hazar Chaurasi Ki Ma (Mother of 1084) (1978), with his new venture he stepped beyond Indianism, modernism, or experimentalism. Another theatre director, who practiced Hindi theatre in Kolkata, which is largely Bengali speaking area was Usha Ganguly
Usha Ganguly
Usha Ganguly is an Indian theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata in 1970s and 1980s. She founded Rangkarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from thespian Shyamanand...
(b. 1945), who founded Rangkarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from her, theatre directors like, Satyadev Dubey
Satyadev Dubey
Satyadev Dubey is an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film actor and director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971....
, Dinesh Thakur
Dinesh Thakur
Dinesh Thakur is a noted Indian theatre director, actor in theatre, television and Hindi film, where most notably he appeared as one of the leads in Rajnigandha 1974 and directed by Basu Chatterjee, which won both Filmfare Best Movie Award and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie...
and Nadira Babbar
Nadira Babbar
Nadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981...
also practiced Hindi theatre in Mumbai, till then home for Marathi and Gujarati theatre.
In the 60s and 70s many actors from National School of Drama started working in Hindi films, though many continued theatre activities on the side. Many theatre actors and directors, like Om Shivpuri, who had formed Dishantar theatre group in Mumbai, and Dina Pathak worked successful in mainstream cinema as well, while many others, along with FTII, Pune actors, made name in the Parallel cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
, which came of age in late 1970s. This included, Sai Paranjpye, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor. Most colleges now had their own theatre societies, which became breeding ground for future practitioners. Later in 1980s, with increasing popularity of television soap operas, home videos and cable TV, audience moved away from theatre for a while, before theatre resurrected itself in the late 1990s with a new breed of theatre directors who sought not just new themes and narratives, but also took to absurd, expressionist
Expressionist theater
Expressionism is a modernist movement in drama and theatre that developed in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century and later in the United States...
, experimental
Experimental theatre
Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
and improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
with greater zeal. They also started to find sponsors in the corporate sector and numerous theatre directors were able to sustain themselves on theatre alone. Two challenges that came up in the coming years was that even now actors took their theatre careers as a prep for film careers, and secondly most theatre actors learned via working in theatre groups, as avenues of theatre education remained limited, though some organization that opened in other cities beyond Delhi, like Jaipur, Lucknow, and Chandigarh, which had playwright-director Balwant Gargi
Balwant Gargi
Balwant Gargi was a renowned Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic.-Early life:Balwant Gargi Born on December 4, 1916 in Neeta Khandan in Bathinda...
guiding new phase of theatre, offered young aspirants to learn the craft.
Hindi playwriting
Bhartendu's father wrote a play titled, Nahul natak in 1859, which is the "first Hindi drama of literary scope in the modern period", though there is little record of its staging. The first drama to be staged, was Shital Prasad Trivedi's Janaki mangal at Banaras theatre, also known as purana nachghar, in 1868, in which Bhartendu himself made his stage debut as an actor, and in the coming years he wrote prolifically wrote eighteen plays till his death in 1885. Pre-Bhartendu period, had created mostly mythological and epic inspired plays like, Hanuman-natak, Amasya sar natak, Vichitra natak, Shakuntala upakhyan, Anand Raghunandan and Inder sabha.Just as Bhartendu Harishchandra wrote Satya Harishchandra (1875), Bharat Durdasha (1876) and Andher Nagari (1878), in late 19th century, Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad , one of the most famous figures in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre.- Biography :...
became the next big figure in Hindi playwriting with plays like Skanda Gupta (1928), Chandragupta (1931) and Dhruvswamini (1933), Maithili Sharan Gupt
Maithili Sharan Gupt
Maithilisharan Gupt was one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He is considered among the pioneers of Khari Boli poetry and wrote in Khari Boli at a time when most Hindi poets favoured the use of Brajbhasha.- Early life :Born Chirgaon, Jhansi in a Gahoi family...
also wrote three plays, Tilottama (1916), Chandrahaas (1921) and Anagha (1925). The next phase of important plays after Prasad, came with Badrinath Bhatt, next it was Lakshminarayan Mishra's work which broke away from existing pattern of subject treatment and presentation and is known for its realism, and unmistakable influence of Isben as seen in Sansyasi (1931), Raksha Ka Mandir (1931), Mukti ka rahasya (1932), Rajyoga (1934) and Sindoor ki Holi (1934), which tackle social problem with marked directness. An important event in this period was establishment of Hans, a literary magazine based in Varanasi, by noted writer Premchand in 1938, which published numerous imporatant one-act plays in the coming years, further giving boost to the craft.
1940s and beyond
As the Independence struggle was gathering steam playwrights broaching issues of nationalism and subversive ideas against the British, yet to dodge censorship, they adapted themes from mythology, history and legend and used them as vehicle for political messages, a trend that continues to date, though now it was employed to bring out social, personal and psychological issues rather than clearly political.Post-independence the emerging republic threw up new issues for playwrights to tackle and express, and Hindi playwriting showed greater brevity and symbolism, but it was not as prolific as in case with Hindi poetry or fiction. Yet we have playwrights like Jagdish Chandra Mathur (Konark) and Upendranath Ashk (Anjo Didi), who displayed a steadily evolving understanding of thematic development, theatrical constraints
Theatrical constraints
Theatrical constraints are various rules, either of taste or of law, that govern the production, staging, and content of stage plays in the theater...
and stagecraft
Stagecraft
Stagecraft is a generic term referring to the technical aspects of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes, but is not limited to, constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and procurement of costumes, makeup, procurement of props, stage management, and...
, and Gyandev Agnihotri stood out for his symbolism, wit and satire as visible in classic Shuturmurg written in 1960s. before moving into screenwriting for Hindi films in the 1970s.
The first important play of 20th century was Andha Yug
Andha Yug
Andha Yug is 1954 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati . It was the first important play of 20th century India...
(The Blind Epoch), by Dharamvir Bharati
Dharamvir Bharati
Dr. Dharamvir Bharati was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the Chief-Editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug....
, which came in 1953, found in Mahabharat, both an ideal source and expression of modern discontent and predicament of a society riddled with corruption. Starting with Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
it was staged by numerous directors. With his verse play Uttar Priyadarshini, Agyeya found the story Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
's redemption, reflecting the modern call for peace. Ashadh Ka Ek Din
Ashadh Ka Ek Din
Ashadh Ka Ek Din is a debut Hindi play by Mohan Rakesh in 1958 and is considered the first Modern Hindi play. The play received a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for best play in 1959 and has been staged by several prominent directors to critical acclaim...
(One Day in Ashadh), the debut play of modernist Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani literary movement of the Hindi literature in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din , which won a competition organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi...
was published in 1958, based on the life of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
dramatist Kalidas
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
, and is considered the first Modern Hindi play. Mohan Rakesh went on to write two more plays, Aadhe Adhure (Halfway House) and Leheron Ke Raj Hans (Great Swans of the Waves) and left one, Paon Taley Ki Zameen (Ground beneath the Feet) unfinished by the time of his death in 1972, but he had shifted the landscape of Hindi theatre. Today, his rise as a prominent playwright in 1960s is seen as the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, just as Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
did it in Marathi, Badal Sircar in Bengali, and Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
in Kannada. His plays have now become classics of Indian theatre, have been performed by almost every major Indian theatre director and have been part of the University curriculum in Hindi-speaking areas.
Initially inspired by western dramaturgy
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Dramaturgy is a distinct practice separate from play writing and directing, although a single individual may perform any combination of the three. Some dramatists combine writing and...
, in structure and movement, many initial playwrights adapted Isben and Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
, but soon returned to roots and found both content and form, giving birth to the movement called "theatre of the roots", a concerted attempt to decolonize Indian theatre and distance itself from western theatre. Be it Habib Tanvir's Agra Bazar (1954) and Charandas Chor (1975), which brought in new indigenous forms of expression, On the other hand there were younger playwrights like Surendra Verma
Surendra Verma
Surendra Verma is a leading Hindi litterateur and playwright. He started out as a playwright, when his play Surya Ki Antim Kiran Se Surya Ki Pahli Kiran Tak , became quite well known, has been translated into six Indian languages. Has had a long association with the National School of Drama...
, with his Surya Ki Antim Kiran Se Surya Ki Pahli Kiran Tak (From Sunset to Sunrise, 1972), Draupadi and Athwan sarga (Eighth Chapter, 1976), rapidly experimented with forms and formats, and writers who ventured into playwrighting to produced important works, like Bhisham Sahni
Bhisham Sahni
Bhisham Sahni भीष्म साहनी was a Hindi writer, playwright, and actor, most famous for his novel and television screenplay Tamas , a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of India...
who has been associated with both IPTA and Progressive Writers Association, most noted for his partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
-novel Tamas wrote, Hanush (1977), Madhavi (1982) and Muavze (1993).
Over the years the repertoire of Hindi plays has expanded to included translated and adapted works of successful playwrights from other languages, like Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
, Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
, Mahesh Elkunchwar
Mahesh Elkunchwar
Mahesh Elkunchwar is an Indian playwright with more than 15 plays to his name, in addition to his theoretical writings, critical works, and his active work in India's Parallel Cinema as actor and screenwriter....
, G. P. Deshpande
Govind Purushottam Deshpande
Govind Purushottam Deshpande is a Marathi playwright and academic from Maharashtra, India. He is also known as GoPu , or GPD....
and Badal Sircar (Evam Indrajit, 1963, Pagla Ghoda, 1967).
Danish Iqbal’s Dara Shikoh is a modern classic which was staged by director M S Sathyu. In the words of noted critic Ramesh Chand Charlie Dara Shikoh is a turning point of traditional theatrical sensibilities. Use of Wali Deccani's period poetry provides this Play with a very rare artistic and historical context. Dazzling use of Kathak choreography by Rani Khanum and her Troupe, and authentic costumes including head gear, swords and period art work was a treat for the eyes. This Play had a good run at cities like Delhi, Gurgaon and Banglore.
Another notable Drama of Danish Iqbal is Dilli jo ek Shehr Thaa depicts the life and times of a Delhi lost during the invasion of Nadir Shah. He was awarded Mohan Rakesh Samman for this Play by the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit. Recently this Play was staged by Bharti Sharma of Kshitij Group and had Delhi audience mesmerized by its production values and grandeur.
Danish also wrote Sahir on the life and times of Sahir Ludhyanvi which was staged in Delhi for a packed audience and became a landmark production for the use of old film songs as part of Dramatic Narrative. Directed by NRI Director Pramila Le Hunt this play became a commercial success and had audience wishing more and more of Sahir. Danish Iqbal also wrote Kuchh Ishq Kiya Kuchh Kaam on the life and work of legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
and Sarah Ka Sara Aasman on the poetess Sarah Shagufta, besides the biographical Drama 'Ghalib' which used Ghalib's poetry for the basic narrative and was staged at Dubai for the expatriate Indian Community. Danish had also given the block buster 'Woh Akhiri Hichki' and 'Ek Thi Amrita'(on the life and times of Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam was a Punjabi writer and poet, considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both the sides of the India-Pakistan border, with a career spanning over six decades, she...
) and some other early works. In recent years he has been using lot of elements of Cinema and mass media to bring theatrical sensibilities closer to the audiences fed with lot of Bollywood. It is a pity that his collected work is not available till now although few versions of 'Dara Shikoh' and 'Ghalib' are available but Dara Shikoh being a costly historical costume Drama it is not easy to stage such a demanding production. 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' has all the markings of a classic stage play combining high voltage conflict with realistic characterizations, treacherous conspiracies, romance, poetry, dances and catchy dialogues.
Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi' 'Big B' and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.
Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant Play. He has been associated with many groups like 'Natwa' and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generation Sayeed, Shahid, Danish and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition.
Theatre criticism
On the other hand, theatre criticismTheatre criticism
Theatre criticism is a genre of art criticism, and the act of writing or speaking about the performing arts such as a play or opera.Most major national newspapers of first world countries cover the arts in some form and theatre criticism may be included as a part of this arts coverage.Specialist...
which had also began with Bhartendu, saw new voices emerging in the mid-20th century, like Lakshmi Narayan Lal, which were now subjecting recent Indian playwriting to touchstone of Isben and other western masters. Leading theatre critics were now employed by national dailies, this included Ramesh Chander and Nemichand Jain, and soon a second generation theatre criticism came to the fore in 1960s, with Kavita Nagpal, Jaidev Taneja, and others. Literary journal also started having sections devoted to theatre criticism and many magazines now ran theatre review columns. In this period, a theatre journal Natrang edited by NC Jain started publishing, similar journal were brought out by state-run academies like, Sangit Natak by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
in Delhi, Rangyog at Rajasthan Academy in Jodhpur, and Chhayanat by Uttar Pradesh Academy in Lucknow. Another important development was the rise of documentation, academic research in various streams of Indian theatre by increasing number of theatre scholars, like Kapila Vatsyayan, Anuradha Kapoor and N C Jain.
Hindi theatre groups
| Name | Location | Year of establishment | Founding director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prithvi Theatres | Mumbai | 1944 | Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in... |
| Naya Theatre | Bhopal | 1959 | Habib Tanvir Habib Tanvir Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor... |
| National School of Drama National School of Drama National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975... ' Repertory Company |
Delhi | 1964 | Om Shivpuri Om Shivpuri Om Shivpuri was an Indian theatre actor-director and character actor in Hindi films.A National School of Drama, New Delhi alumni, Om Shivpuri became the first chief of the National School of Drama Repertory Company and one of its actors; he later founded an important theatre group of its era, in... |
| Padatik | Kolkata | 1972 | Shyamanand Jalan Shyamanand Jalan Shyamanand Jalan was an influential Kolkata-based Indian thespian, theatre director, and actor. He is credited for the renaissance period of modern Indian theatre and especially the Hindi theatre in Kolkata from the 1960s to 1980s... |
| Jana Natya Manch Jana Natya Manch Jana Natya Manch is a New Delhi-based amateur theatre company specializing in left-wing street theatre in Hindi. It was founded in 1973 by a group of Delhi's radical theatre amateurs, who sought to take theatre to the people... |
Delhi | 1973 | Safdar Hashmi Safdar Hashmi Safdar Hashmi was a Communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and theorist, chiefly associated with Street theatre in India, and is still considered an important voice in political theatre in India.... |
| Rangkarmee | Kolkata | 1976 | Usha Ganguly Usha Ganguly Usha Ganguly is an Indian theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata in 1970s and 1980s. She founded Rangkarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from thespian Shyamanand... |
| Ank Productions | Mumbai | 1976 | Dinesh Thakur Dinesh Thakur Dinesh Thakur is a noted Indian theatre director, actor in theatre, television and Hindi film, where most notably he appeared as one of the leads in Rajnigandha 1974 and directed by Basu Chatterjee, which won both Filmfare Best Movie Award and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie... |
| Ekjute | Mumbai | 1981 | Nadira Babbar Nadira Babbar Nadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981... |
| Rang Vidushak | Bhopal | 1984 | Bansi Kaul |
| Pierrot's Troupe Pierrot's Troupe Pierrot's Troupe is a theatre group based in New Delhi, India, which was formed in 1989. The group performs original plays in Hindi, Urdu and English. It has performed more than 2000 shows, mostly in Delhi and other parts of India.... |
Delhi | 1989 | M. Sayeed Alam |
| Asmita Theatre | Delhi | 1993 | Arvind Gaur Arvind Gaur Arvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues... |
| Swatantra Theatre | Pune | 2006 | Abhijeet Choudhary |
Further reading
- Hindi drama and stage, by Virendra Narayana. Bansal, 1981
- Adhunik Hindi Natak Aur Rangmanch (Modern Hindi Drama and Theatre), by N. C. Jain.
- Rang yatra: twenty-five years of the National School of Drama Repertory Company, by National School of Drama. Published by National School of Drama, 1992.
- Hindi Natak: Udhbhav aur Vikas (Hindi Drama: Its origin and Development), Dashrath Ojha. Rajpal and Sons, 1954.
- Mohan Rakesh's halfway house: critical perspectives, by Subhash Chandra. Asia Book Club, 2001. ISBN 978-81-7851-004-0.
- Gender, religion, and modern Hindi drama, by Diana Dimitrova. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7735-3364-6.
- Andha Yug, by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Alok Bhalla. Oxford University Press, USA, 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-806522-7.