Theatre has been a part of the Indian ethos from the time of 'Natya Shastra', 'Mahabharat'

The year 2022 was big for theatre in India as it made inroads into TV. Merging two very important platforms for entertainment, Zee Theatre experimented with a new style of storytelling as it brought a dramatic feast of 30 plays in 30 days titled ‘Har Din Naya Drama’. Bringing the best of classic, contemporary, and clutter-breaking content of India's vast and diverse theatre fraternity, Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer of Special Projects, ZEEL and a film producer herself, spoke to WION about making theatre mainstream.

Here are the excerpts of the chat:

WION: The year 2022 was huge for Zee Theatre in terms of broadcasting theatrical plays. How would you define 'Har Din Naya Drama' as a concept?

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Shailja: The idea was to bring a new play every day to the audience and the title came from the colloquial way of describing little dramas that unfold in some way in every household. Therefore, we used the often-used sentence, "Har Roz Naya Drama Laga Hi Rehta Hai” and connected the idea to the theatre. At a time when there is much to choose from, be it cinema, television, or OTT, we presented a new option that offers stories steeped in diverse emotions and genres ranging from humour, satire, and tragedy to thrillers.

Theatre in any case is part of our culture from the time of 'Natya Shastra' to references in 'Mahabharat' of Arjun enacting the part of Brihannala, during the one-year incognito exile. We have an inexhaustible heritage to draw from and for now, we will largely present plays in Hindi and then eventually include dubbed regional stories as well, in the mix.

WION: What are some of the ways that theatre can be mainstreamed as an entertainment option and not be restricted to only the aficionados?

Shailja: We are presenting plays that are entertaining as well as issue-oriented and that is something you don't find often in programming. For instance, the play, 'Ma Retire Hoti Hai' explores the question if women can ever be relieved of domestic responsibilities and say, "I am done! Now I will only rest!" Men have a retirement age, but women don't. A teleplay like 'Gudiya Ki Shaadi' explores the issue of obsession with fairness and how a dark-complexioned young girl navigates this prejudice. The idea is to highlight issues that we see within our families and provide a larger social context. We have teleplays by stalwarts like Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Dattani, Girish Karnad, and Tagore along with contemporary talents like Purva Naresh and this mix will engage all kinds of viewers and not just theatre aficionados.

WION: What is behind your vision to make theatre a part of the daily lives of viewers? And how will you meet the demand and supply challenge?

Shailja: We have an inexhaustible treasure trove of teleplays and with time, we want to bring plays from every region and language to the viewers because India has the diversity to offer. These stories will resonate with viewers because they are relatable, relevant, and timeless.

WION: What is the future of theatre? Will it be hybrid with existing theatres getting modified to adapt to different mediums and theatre becoming increasingly digital?

Shailja: Theatre has been a part of the Indian ethos from the time of 'Natya Shastra' and 'Mahabharat' and continues to exist in many forms on streets, in theatres, on the small screen, in the living rooms of people and it will continue to grow and evolve. Digital theatre I feel will enhance the love for live plays. It also plays an archival role and preserves stories that otherwise would not be accessible or just fade away. Theatre will exist in its purest form, in hybrid ways and in a collaborative form like teleplays where you can savour the energy of live performances and cinematic technique right at home.