Nautanki

Nautanki: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab etc.

In entire north India, Nautanki was the most popular entertainment art before arrival of Cinema. The most popular centres of this traditional theatre form are Kanpur, Lucknow and Haathras. This popular art from has now dwindled and its existence is in threat. In contemporary times, the street plays resemble to the Nautankis. Generally, there is an intense melodic exchange between two or three performers; a chorus is also used sometimes. The Storyline of traditional Nautankis range from mythological and folk tales to stories of contemporary heroes.