There are numerous famous plays in Indian theatre that have been appreciated by the critics as well as the audience. The amalgamation of various genres of plays resulted in a rare combination of famous literary works being portrayed on the theatre. The copious tradition of Indian theatre boasts the rich folklores of India. Indian drama is as old as the Indian convention and has its rich history deeply associated with the Vedic period. Indian theatre witnessed all the major production during and after Indian independence, which not only marked the change in Indian Natya but also carved it as an art form to illustrate the naturalistic and realistic facets of daily life. The timeline of Indian theatre unfolds the verity that all the major productions in Indian theatre did occur during and after the British Rule.
Theatre was then the weapon of protest against British colonialism and quite ideally therefore, all the major productions in Indian theatre portrayed the pain, agony and frustration of the common people during British Rule. The Major productions in Indian theatre after independence further became the exemplifications of the socio-political and economic conditions of independent India. The leftist movement, the political scenario, the burning questions of unemployment all found an answer in the varied productions of Indian theatre after independence. Some of the most Famous Plays in Indian theatre have been discussed below-
Evam Indrajit
One of the major productions in Indian theatre, Evam Indrajit is the eloquent projection of fears, tears and frustration of the cultured bourgeoisie of the early 60s. The term crisis finds an articulate diction in the play where the melancholic existentialism of an individual weaves the magical plot in the play. Indian drama gained the most modish dash amidst the artistic presentation of Evam Indrajit. Although the play comes to an end yet it leaves a question to which there are hardly any answers. Presented by the group Evam the play was staged at the Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium. Badal Sircar wrote Evam Indrajit and later Girish Karnad translated it into English. With its artistic articulation and with its burning questions Evam Indrajit is reckoned as a milestone in the history of modern theatre in India.
Pagla Ghoda
With the scaffolding of Pagla Ghod, a modern Indian drama gained a marked enunciation in the history of Indian Natya. It is one of the major productions in Indian theatre. 70s traditions, tears, agony and pain is utterly presented in Badal Sircar`s Pagla Ghoda which again marked the beginning of a new style - that is the naturalistic style in Indian drama. The anti-establishment attributes of Pagla Ghoda later contoured the Indian street theatre movement and is therefore reckoned as one of the chef-d`oeuvre of the great theatre personality, Badal Sircar.
Madhyam Vyayog
Bhasa`s play, Madhyam Vyayog is all about Bhima`s meeting with Ghatatkocha yet it is just not an epic play. A truly modern play in almost every aspect of the term Madhyam Vyayog highlights the politics of power and at the same time the gender politics in a pretty contemporary way. A number of theatrical patterns are tunefully harmonised to offer a rather modish interpretation to the age-old myths.
Avanavan Kadamba
Another milestone added with the staging of Avanavan Kadamba. It created a new history in the chronology of Indian theatre. One of the major productions in Indian theatre, Avanavan Kadamba, directed by G.Aravindan and performed by a series of eminent actors including Natarajan, Krishnan kutty Nair, Gopi , Nedumudi Venu and Jagannathan, was truly an inspiring.
The famous plays in Indian theatre thus unfold the rich history of Indian theatre, which is definitely the portrayal of a journey from the eposes to the contemporary style of naturalistic production of the unedited realisms of life.