Theatre  of M.P. / Folk Theatres of M.P  - मप्र का रंगमंच / म.प्र. का लोक रंगमंच     

The history of theatre in M.P. is quite old. Before independence, there is no fixed knowledge about theatre in M.P. It’s chronological & systematic knowledge is available only after independence.

The evolution of theatre in M.P. is as follows :

a) Gwalior : Before independence there was a famous theatre group in Gwalior known as Artist combine, founded in 1937 by SadashivraoBhagvat. It only played  Marathi plays .

Since 1951, it also started Hindi theatre. In 1987, it produced theatre "Bina Diwaro ka ghar" Written by Mannu Bhandari.

b) Indore : In Indore, the history of theatre begins , with ..Baba Dike . In 1944 he founded "Natya -Bharti" .With this organization the famous artists …Vishnu Chichlankar&Barpute were related . Although, all three were Marathis but they have contributed even for Hindi theatre.Above theatre has produced plays like Mayuri , Noorjahan , Malvika-Agnimitram , Abhigyanshakuntalam .

 In Indore, another group "Prayog" was founded by..Satish Mehta. This group has produced famous plays like Dularibai, Juloos,  Bakri, Jadu-Jungle, Andho ka hathi etc.

c) Ujjain: In Ujjain , theatre activities were very old, but they were activated in 1965. Rajendra Gupta directed  Dharmveer Bharti's  Andhayug , which was applauded , the same time kalidas academy was founded, which promoted theatre activities.

d) Jabalpur: In Hindi theatre , the father of theatre movement in …Jabalpur was Seth Govind Das. He founded……first moving theatre.

A famous group "Anupam Kala Mandir" has played "Aadhe-Adhure" .

Another mandlis were "Khandwa natyamandli”,  ‘Pushpanjali’, Tandav kala mandir etc.

In Jabalpur , the theatre activities were activated by….Alakhanandan& his group Vevechana,. with this group famous satirist HarishankarParsai was also associated . This group played ‘Chanda Bedni’, ‘Andhere me’, ‘Mukta Bazar’ etc.

e) Bhopal : After becoming capital , theatre activities were promoted in Bhopal. When in 1960,  New wave theatre became popular in MP. In 1962, the Rangayan group was founded by Shrinivas kochkar. Another theatre activists S.V. Velankarf ounded ,"Natya Sudha" group.

Famous Theatre Artists of M.P.

The theatre is important means to reflect the social scenario . The theatre actor not only entertains audience but gives them positive message . A true theatre actor is true guide.

The famous theater actors of M.P. are:-

1) Habib Tanveer

He was born in 1923 at Raipur . He did graduation from Nagpur University. Ravindra Bharti University Calcutta, awarded him with D. Lit. He directed more than 50 plays ,famous are : Agra-Bazar, CharandasChor,  Bahadur kalarin, Mudra-rakshas etc.

2) Alakanandan

 He was born in 1948 . He was a famous poet , actor, director. He has directed famous plays like - Agra-Bazar ,Andhere me , Doura Laat Sahab ka , Chanda Bednietc . He has directed no. of theatre workshop for children, youth etc. He founded famous theatre group "Vivechana ”at Jabalpur. He was the director of groups like Nat-Bundele ,Urdu theatre trust etc.

3) B.V. Karant.

He was born in 1928 at Karnataka. Right from beginning he was in touch with Gubbi theatre.

4)Jabbar Patel

He was born in 1947, atPandharpur, Maharashtra .He did his graduation from B.J. medical college, later did  Diploma in Child care. The famous plays directed by him i) Ghasiram kotwal ii) Teen Paisa Chya.

5) Satish Mehta

 Known as pioneer of New-theatre movement. By profession he was a teacher but his love & devotion for theatre is inspirable.. He founded theatre group "Prayog" in Indore.

6) Vijay Dalwi

He was Born in 1949,he received  education at Gwalior. He also received  Graduation in classical music in Violin.. He is an expert of …open-sky theatre. In such open theatre, light & sound system is unique. He had design more than 10 fares of  HastShilp Nigam, govt. of India.

7) Prashant Kharadkar

 He is son of. BhausahebKhiradkar who was known as father of theatre in M.P. As a child artist he joined a group Artist combine, Gwalior. He worked for Rangayan. He graduated from MANIT Bhopal. He founded group "Parivartan. His famous plays are : 1) Ek kanthVishpai 2) Jadu Jungle 3) Komal Gandhar 4) Kisi Ek Phool ka naam lo 5) Ek ThaGadha

8) Rajendra Awasthi

 He received diploma from M.P. Lok Kala academy in dramatic arts. He worked as actor in Rang Mandal, Bharat-Bhavan. He has directed more than 20 plays.

9) Vibha Mishra

 Born at Lucknow  she graduated from National school of drama, New Delhi. Worked as senior actress at Rangmandal , Bharat -Bhavan.

She worked for child theatre , e.g. Bakra, Aadhe -Adhure, Khamosh : Adalat Jarihai.

Ashutosh Rana Ramnarayan Neekhra –

(born 10 November 1967), known professionally as Ashutosh Rana, is an Indian actor, working in Bollywood, as well as the Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil film industries. He has also worked in Indian television shows.

 He has also won 2 filmfare awards for Dushman and sangharsh. He won these awards in the category filmfare awards in a negative role .

He became known in Indian Cinema after his movie Dushman, where he played a cold blooded psychopathic killer. He is mostly given roles of antagonists in movies, particularly that of a killer. And in some movies he played supporting roles.

He has acted in South Indian films. He frequently appears in Mahesh Bhatt's films. He played the role of Alia Bhatt's father in Karan Johar's Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania       

Javed Khan- 

(born as JavedYaqub Khan in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India) is an Indianfilm and television actor and former model. He studied at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

Javed Khan was born in Bhopal, Madhya Prades

Recruited by a producer, Khan signed on for his debut film while still at the F.T.I.I.

 His first film was Apradhi Kaun. It collected 100% at the box office in the first week, but was not much heard of in Bollywood, being a small budget film.

Nevertheless, Javed was termed as "the hearthrob" and won the Most Promising Newcomer of the Year Award along with other felicitations from critics, film journalists, clubs and fan clubs in small centers.

Jaya Bachchan ( Bhaduri) –

Born on 9 April 1948 is an Indian film actress and politician. She is currently the Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, notably serving four terms since 2004. She is recognised as one of the finest Hindi film actresses of her time, particularly known for reinforcing a naturalistic style of acting in both mainstream and "middle-of-the-road" cinema. During her career, she won nine Filmfare Awards: including three for Best Actress and three for Best Supporting Actress, which makes her the overall most-awarded performer in the female acting categories, along with Nutan. She was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. In 1992, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Making her film debut as a teenager in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (1963), Bachchan's first screen role as an adult was in Guddi (1971), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, with whom she would collaborate in several films. She was noted for her performances in films including Uphaar (1971), Koshish (1972) and Kora Kagaz (1974), among others. She appeared alongside her husband Amitabh Bachchan in films such as Zanjeer(1973), Abhimaan (1973), ChupkeChupke (1975), Mili (1975) and Sholay (1975).

Rajiv Verma

Is a veteran Indian actor who works mainly in film and television.

Verma was born in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, India. He obtained his Architectural Degree from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology. Later, he took a Masters in Urban Design in Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture He is married to Rita Bhaduri Verma. Rita is the sister of Jaya BhadhuriBachcha

Some of his films include Maine Pyar Kiya (as Salman Khan's father), Deedar, Hum Dil De ChukeSanam, 90 Minutes, Benaras 1918,Koi Mil Gaya, Rehguzar, Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai Tumse, Dhamkee, Woh Tera Naam Tha, Andaaz, Yeh Raaste Hain PyaarKe, Hum SaathSaath Hain, KachcheDhaage, Biwi No.1, Himmatwala, Jeet, ChalteChalte, Har Dil Jo PyarKarega, Wah Taj,Majhdhaar, Kya Kehna, Beiimaan Love, Aarakshan, Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap, Bazaar E Husn, PhirUssi Mod Par, Ebn-e-Batuta.^[4] and many many more.

Palak Muchhal –

Is an Indian playback singer. She and her younger brother Palash Muchhal perform stage shows across India and abroad to raise funds for the poor children who need financial assistance for the medical treatment of heart diseases.

As of 8 December 2016, she has raised funds through her charity shows which has helped to save lives of 1333 children suffering from heart ailments.

Muchhal has made her entry in both Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of World Records for great achievements in social work. Her work is also recognised by the Government of India and other public institutions through various awards and honours.

Muchhal also performs as a playback singer for Bollywood films. She has rendered her voice in Hindi films such as Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Aashiqui 2 (2013), Kick (2014) and Action Jackson (2014) Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story(2016) and Kaabil (2017)

Annu Kapoor –

Is an Indian film actor and television presenter best-remembered for hosting the vocal reality show Antakshari from 1993 to 2006 and his roles in Mr. India (1987 film), Vicky Donor (2012) and Jolly LLB 2 (2017).

He received Filmfare award as well as National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Vicky Donor.

Kapoor is best remembered for hosting the singing show Close-Up Antakshari, produced by Zee TV. His performance as an obsessive-compulsive sperm-bank physician in 2012's Vicky Donor met with critical and popular acclaim. He worked in the horror TV serial Kile ka Rahasya (1989) as a cop who fond of singing. Kapoor has also appeared in YamlaPagla Deewana 2.

In 2007, Antakshari – The National Challenge was relaunched on Star One. The previous year, its "final" episode was telecast; the programme's initial run was from 1993 to 2006. His range of roles varies from portrayal as Saint Kabir in DD National TV serial of the same name, as Mahatma Gandhi in Sardar and Veer Savarkar in Kaala Pani, to police inspector in 7 KhoonMaaf, a petty thief in Utsav to comedic villain in Hum.

The Golden Era - With Annu Kapoor on the Mastiii channel is a nostalgia TV show about Indian cinema, adorned with classical era's Hindi film songs and commentary by Annu Kapoor on unheard tales of Bollywood Cinema's Legends.

Mukesh Tiwari –

 Is an Indian film actor known for playing negative and comic roles in Bollywood and several other Indian language films. he began his acting career with the Hindi film China Gate, in which he played the role of Jageera.

Current Changes in Theatre

 The subject matters of theatre was Mythology , now they are replaced by modern themes. The theatre has emerged as strong media to reflect the social manifestation. The theatre dares to comment on political & administration weakness & corruption.

Previously , the theatre now based on normative themes, now they are based on realism e.g. Chanda Bedni , Ghasiram kotwal.

 Folk Theatres of M.P.

1) Kathi

It is famous theatre of Nimar(Khandva,Khargone). It is done around a pole that is why known as Kathi. It is mixture of theatre, music & dance but it has more element of dance.

There are 4 to 8 members in Kathi group. From which half used to dance & rest used to sing. One person by saucer beat gives the music. This theatre is performed by..Balai scheduled caste. It is done to….. Venerate Lord Shiva & Parvati.

It starts from …..Devuthani Ekadashi to Mahashivratri.

2) Rahas

 It is important folk theatre of Southern part of M.P. specially adjoining C.G. Since it is based on Ras-Leela of Krishna hence , known asRahas . It is based on books  Brijivilas& Radha Krishna. \

3) BundelkhandiSwang

 It is an important folk theatre of Bundelkhand. It can be played on important occasions , festivity , social occasions etc. That's why there are no. of formats of it .E.g.swang of holi ,swang of Navratri etc.

swang means to produce comical effects by doing mimicry of someone. That’s why there is no specified subject matter of swang  .It is related with any ..social, political, ritual, subject matter or shortcoming.

The famous stories of swang are as follows :

i) PandatThakur

  ii) BhuriBhains 

iii) VidhavaMarghatkemasan 

iv) SunarDouj etc.

BundelkhandiSwang

4) Nacha

 It is an important folk theatre of southern part of MP adjoining C.G. It is based on famous folk stories of India. It is not a ritualistic theatre.

 It is performed in village at time of festivity, fun etc. Various social, political issues are included & taunting comedy is played on such problems, this is known as Gammat.

5) Macha

It is a famous folk theatre of Malwaanchal. Since it is played on manch(Stage) hence known as macha. It is believed to be originated from Ujjain at later half of 18 century. But very shortly, for a period of time, it become leading theatre of Shajapur , Indore, Mandsour etc.

The basic theme of mach is life style of..Krishna& Radha e.g.  DharaDharikekhel.

In this, the competitive style of singing ….KalgiTurrais also performed .

6) KhambSwang

 It is an important folk theatre of western area, specially Nimar. It is done by tribe korku. It is done around a pillar that's why known as khambswang .It contains the  mimicry of social & political characters. The pillar around which it is done, is known as Meghnathkhamb . In each korku village, there is presence of Meghnatkhamb. It is performed from Navratri to Devprabodhini.

7) Ram-Leela

 It is a famous theatre of M.P based on Ramcharit manas of Tulsidas. It is not only played in M.P. but all over India.InKarnataka, it is known as Yakshagana. In Mysore, it is known as Ram-Katha.