India's post-medieval or modern Indian theatre took shape during the colonial era. Translations of both ancient Sanskrit texts and Western classics became available, giving theatre a boost. Shakespeare and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's works were adapted. The growth of cities such as Calcutta and Madras necessitated the development of new forms of entertainment. Thus, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Western Proscenium style of theatre emerged. Plays and musical theatre are examples of modern theatre. Ballet and opera are both genres of theatre that employ numerous theatrical traditions such as acting, costumes, and staging. Here we will discuss the Modern Indian Theatre, which will be useful for UPSC IAS Exam preparation.

Modern Indian Theatre

• In the nineteenth century, many theatres sprang up in Calcutta, such as Belgachia Natyashala and Shobhabazar Natyashala.
• Indians evolved their own theatrical style during the British era, integrating elements of both Western and Indian styles.
• In contrast to the ancient past, when the theatre was mainly open to all, theatres were commercialized, with a cost placed on audience members.
• Social ills like dowry, caste, religious hypocrisy, and even political issues were common subjects.
• To combat the rising political consciousness, the British government enacted the Dramatic Performances Act in 1876.

Modern Indian Theatre

Parsi Theatres

• During the 1850s and 1920s, Parsi Theatres were popular in Western India, with plays produced in regional languages such as Gujarati and Marathi.
• Music and colorful backdrops were essential.
• Themes included romance, comedy, melodrama, and so forth.
• With the introduction of cinema in the 1930s, many Parsi producers turned to filmmaking.

Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA)

• The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) was founded in 1943 as the Communist Party's artistic branch.
• Despite the fact that it was abolished in 1947, it had a significant impact on the development of theatre.
• They composed plays about a variety of societal issues, such as the Bengal Famine.
• Balraj Sahni, Prithviraj Kapoor, Bijon Bhattacharya, Ritwik Ghatak, Utpal Dutt, and others were among the notable figures involved with IPTA.
• IPTA is presently active in Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and West Bengal.

Other Modern Theatres

• Bengali, Maharashtra, and other regional theatres rose to prominence.
• Rabindranath Tagore was a well-known dramatist. At the age of 20, he penned his first play, Valmiki Pratibha.
  • Roktokoribi (Red Oleanders), Chitrangada, Post-Office, and other works by him are well-known.
  • His topics covered nationalism, spirituality, and the current sociopolitical environment, among others.
• Prasanna Kumar Thakur, Girishchandra Ghosh, Dinabandhu Mitra (Nildarpan), and others were notable figures.
• Prithviraj Kapoor founded the Prithvi Theatre in 1944. It was a movable theatre that hosted over 2000 productions and had an entourage of 150 performers.
• The first permanent theatre in Mumbai debuted in 1978, and it still stands today.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi was founded in 1952 to promote performing arts, especially theatre, and to help the growth of theatre in India.
• The National School of Drama under Ibrahim Alkazi also contributed to the development of notable theatre figures.
• Heisnam Kanhailal founded Kalakshetra Manipur in 1969 in Manipur to preserve the ancient theatre alive.
• In 1976, Ratan Thiyam founded the renowned Chorus Repertory Theatre.

Modern Indian Theatre

Famous Personalities of Modern Indian Theatre

• Samsa (Sami Venkatadri Iyer) and Adya Rangachary are well-known Kannada playwrights and dramatists.
• Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, better known as Kuvempu, is another well-known Karnataka actor-playwright.
• Other notable theatre personalities include Tamil Nadu's Subrahmanya Bharathiar and Andhra Pradesh's Veeresalingam Pantulu. Kerala's Sreekandan Nair, Bharatendu Harishchandra, and Jaishankar Prasad.
• BV Karanth is well-known for his contributions to theatre in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.
• KV Subbanna founded the acclaimed NINASAM theatre group and is a Ramon Magsaysay award winner.
• Indira Parthasarathy, Girish Karnad, Habib Tanvir, Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sarkar, Vijaya Mehta, Dharmavir Bharati, Mohan Rakesh, Chandrashekhar Kambar, and P Lankesh are some other notable modern personalities.

KV Subbanna

Conclusion

The heritage of modern Indian theatre, as we know it now, is influenced by and inspired by a variety of sources. Modern theatre, or what is known historically as the Western proscenium type of theatre, was not introduced in India until the late eighteenth century when the British Empire was consolidating in various areas of India. Western proscenium-style theatre made its way to Indian shores thanks to the British.