A study of the history of modern drama in Telugu Literature brings forth the fact that it took a rather long time to emerge. The earliest departure from traditional forms of dramatic works was seen in Gurazada Venkata Appa Rao`s Kanyasulkam which marked the beginning of a new era. However, the traditional forms continued to dominate the scene, and modern drama as an established form took long to emerge. It requires to be stated here that when talking about secularism in the context of Telugu drama there are certain things which need to be kept in mind. Modernisation implies the secularization of dramatic subjects, imparting a contemporary tone to the dialogues and formal and technical experimentation. A major impact of modern drama has been the impact of Western literature. The newness of Ibsen`s work impressed the Telugu playwrights to such an extent that they sough to revolutionize playwriting and play production along the lines of Ibsen`s drama. Writers tried to replace the conventional lies of the stage with some necessary though bitter truths of life and bring the plays close to actual life.
P. V. Rajamannar`s Tappevaridi (1929), written under the influence of Ibsen, is considered the first modern play in Telugu. This play dramatizes the liberation of a much-harassed woman from the chains of an unhappy marriage. It called age-old traditions into question and emphasised the need for a re-evaluation of traditional socio-cultural institutions. P. V. Rangaram`s Dampathulu (1931) and Bellary Raghava`s Saripadani Sangathulu (1938) both belong to the same trend and center round marital and familial problems. During this phase, the stage became a platform for an intellectual debate of social problems.
One of the forms of this theatrical revolt was a new brand of mythological plays that emerged around this time. Muddu Krishna`s Asokamu (1934), Chalam`s Harischandra (1937), and Amancharla Gopala Rao`s Hiranya Kasipudu (1937) attempt revisionist reinterpretations of mythological stories. However, these plays could not be staged for a long time, because people considered it a blasphemy to meddle with the sacred texts.
The revival of Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad in 1941 was an important attempt to sustain the theatre movement. The Parishad conducted regular competitions and made awards to talented playwrights. Acharya Atreya, Muddu Krishna, and D. V. Narasaraju established their credentials through these competitions. In the 1940s and 1950s, the thematic range of plays widened significantly, and a realistic drama addressing contemporary social issues such as caste system, class structure, and gender discrimination emerged as the dominant trend of this period. Acharya Atreya`s NGO (1949) dramatized the problems of a meagrely paid clerk, and its success on the stage proved that the ordinary and the commonplace could be turned into powerful drama. Kopparapu Subba Rao`s Inapa Teralu (1950), Kodali Gopala Rao`s Peda Raithu (1952), and Pinisetti Srirama Murthy`s Kulam Lent Pillalu (1951) are all written in the same vein. Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastry`s Tiraskriti (1957) and Bellamkonda Ramadasu`s Panjaram (1956) deal with the emancipation of women and address specific women`s issues. Buchibabu`s Atmavanchana (1951) and Bhamidipati Radhakrishna`s Keertiseshulu (1960) focus on the paradoxes of the human condition and dramatize psychological conflicts and complexes.
Telugu drama thus tapped a variety of thematic tropes and widened the horizons of its concern by the end of the 1960s, after which it described a steady decline. The growing popularity of television and film practically rang the death knell of Telugu drama. Despite sporadic efforts to revive and sustain Telugu theatre, drama in Telugu has not been able to secure a significant place either in Telugu literature or in the tradition of performance. Andhra University established an open-air theatre and later started a Department of Theatre Arts. So did the Osmania University subsequently. The efforts of the university departments and the state-financed institutions have barely managed to keep the tradition alive, but a total lack of popular patronage blocks the revival of drama in Andhra. What revival there is in recent Telugu drama comes mainly from Western enthusiasts but has not met with much success. Very few good plays appeared in the last couple of years of the twentieth century. These include R. S. Ramaswami`s Galivana (1968), N. R. Nandi`s Maro Mohenzadaro (1969), Rentala Gopala Krishna`s Rajani (1972), Arudra`s Radari Banglow, and Gollapudi Maruthi Rao`s Kallu merit special mention. These plays show the influence of the Western avant-garde movement and ably adapt the new dramatic techniques to Indian themes.
It may be noted that Telugu drama is more than a century old now. There have been several significant changes in the themes and forms of drama in these 100 years, but the essential structure of the play has not altered. Mythological subjects were replaced by social and secular themes; verse yielded place to prose, which, in the course of time, turned into colloquial idiom; the long play with elaborate scenes and several characters gradually became condensed into short and often one-act plays; new modes of presentations, including realist, symbolic, and expressionist techniques, were attempted, but no new forms with indigenous roots had emerged in Telugu literature for a long time.
