The Hindu : New Delhi News : Hindi theatre: In the midst of turbulence

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Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Hindi theatre: In the midst of turbulence

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5. Stiff competition from other cultural media and lack of sponsorship is giving the country's Hindi theatre reasons to worry. While entertainment with no culture or roots is getting maximum coverage and sponsorship, the national theatre has taken a backseat, those involved in theatre say.

The crux of the problem lies in the fact that Hindi is considered a language of the commoners and not of the culturally elite class, they say.

``Hindi is not the language of the classes. It is for the commoners. The meagre 10 per cent of the English rule over the majority of the Hindi speaking country. It's a pathetic situation,'' says Suresh Bharadwaj, Professor at the National School of Drama.

``General mindset'' of the people is also to blame, he feels.

``People still think that if it's a play in Hindi, then it must be a nautanki. It's the mindsets that have to change,'' says Rupak Chauhan of Rangshala theatre.

While Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali theatre have advanced considerably, theatre in North India has to go a long way as the people here are not much theatre inclined. In a fast-paced life, only the younger generation manages to find time for cultural activities and they prefer English theatre to Hindi any day.

``The generation today is simply not interested in the classics of Jaishankar Prasad or Premchand. Just like television, English plays showcase the lives of the high-class, obviously the charm of the simplicity of a rickshawala disappears.'' says Bhardawaj.

Talking about sponsorship, almost all the artists have similar feelings. In an era in which cheap thrill sells, sponsors also head that way. Entertainment that lies on the thin line between decency and obscenity has become the new mantra and meaningful theatre scores very few points in that respect.

``Sponsorships only come by if you have some masala or a celebrity making an appearance. Everybody is running after stars, they understand nothing about the aesthetics of art and culture,'' says N.K. Sharma, a renowned theatre personality.

Government sponsorships could help Hindi theatre to cope up with this problem. But it's not that easy to get them.

The corporate sector has been more than ready to sponsor the big names of theatre. It is so because with a hit theatre group, the revenues and profits are sure to come.

Thus the new groups and budding theatre lovers don't get the exposure they deserve.

``Theatre people can't earn their livelihood from plays so they indulge in theatre only as a part time hobby or do it for their creative passion. Corporate sponsorship might help matters but they too have their target groups and profits to think about,'' says Chauhan.

``Hindi has its own identity. It should cater to those thousands of people who are the commoners, who can afford a Rs 20 ticket.'' says Bhardwaj.

It's a common knowledge that artists go to extremes to achieve creative satisfaction. A new strategy would be to stage plays in small budgets, funded by friends and well wishers. Street plays are also a good option but there are other means as well.

``It's an age of crisis. It's not only difficult to get police permission, but even after acquiring it, shows are stopped abruptly for terrorist scares,'' says Sharma.

When asked about alternatives Chauhan said, ``Service Industry can collaborate with us and bring the audience closer to the stage. For example, mobile networks can offer passes to theatre with recharge coupons etc.

It's true that Hindi theatre has never been a highly paying profession but the current scenario in which the lime light is always fixed to the glamour world is also worrying.

Today, cheap thrills sell and item girls are crowd pullers. Theatre portraying social angst and issues pales in front of the instant fizz of the celebrities.

``Theatre has never been a commercial proposition in India. I personally never ask for sponsors as I am just eager to interact and communicate with the audience, no matter how,'' says N K, who is staging a new play, Viraasat in the resettlement colonies of Delhi.

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