Theatres in India after Independence with Special Reference to Mahesh Dattani’s works

Dr. Shobha Kumari

Vol-3,Issue-5,September - October 2018

Author: Dr. Shobha Kumari

Keywords: Dramaturgy, Narrative Techniques, Meticulously.

Abstract: Theater in India as its very ancient origin. The earliest form of classical theater of India was the Sanskrit theater. Modern Indian theater developed during the period of colonial rule under the British Empire. In order to restrict the use of the theater the British government imposed dramatic Performance act. But after independence the use of theater flourished and gradually kept on improving. Accordingly the new narrative style and techniques also developed. Theaters across all over India evolved and embellished with different names in different regions. Among the many forms of Indian folk theatre. Bhavai is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat, Bhaona and AnkiyaNats have been practicing in Assam .Jatra has been popular in Bengal . Another folk theatre form popular in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh is Swang, which is dialogue-oriented rather than movement-oriented. Yakshagana is a very popular theatre art in Karnataka. Kathakali is a form of dance-drama, characteristic of Kerala. The various dramatist since early 19th century to the modern era have been experimenting on dramaturgy and hence improvising the narrative techniques since independence. In this paper I have specially discussed Mahesh Dattani’s technical craftsmanship, their skillful enactment on stage, how it becomes effective with his stage directions.Dattani’s plays are crafted meticulously and the dramatic tensions are carefully built up. Most of his plays have the feministic aspects and the gender biased issues of today’s society.

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.3.5.28