Srinagar: Apart from its natural beauty, Kashmir is also known for the variety of rich art forms that it encompasses. The youth in Kashmir are also keen on various forms of performative art forms that stem from their own rich culture and tradition. The theater in Kashmir has its own history and is recognized as an age old form of performative art. The theater artists too, are good in number and hold passion for their art - and this expands not just to their own cultural theater, but also the contemporary theater that might take them to the star-stud entertainment industry of Bollywood.
However, due to the constant conflict and uncertainties in the area, this art form has not seen enough exposure since the past few years. A reporter from ETV Bharat, Mir Farhat, talked to young Kashmiri theater artists, directors and other artistic experts to get an insight into the current picture of theater as an art form in the Valley.
Farhat was told that the art form has seen a considerable decline in the past few years because of the socio-political adversities in the area, followed by the pandemic that still hasn't entirely faded out. However, young actors who hold a passion for the art and want to excel in the entertainment industry are eager to revive the traditional entertainment. They therefore put efforts towards producing theater pieces every now and then, on their best level possible. A peculiar thing about their dramas is their efforts to showcase contemporary issues, especially related to Kashmir, through their dramas.
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One of such recently produced drama titled 'Jheel Bula Rahi Hai' (The lake is calling) written by a Kashmiri writer Ali Muhammad, was performed in a theater in Srinagar by young artists and senior actors. Through this particular performance, the actors said, they intended to bring forth Kashmir's own writers' stories in the form of a theater performance.
Syed Zenobia, a young actor and the lead of the drama Jheel Bula Rahi Hai, told ETV Bharat that working in theater gives her a surreal feeling. "Theaters in Kashmir must be revived. It is a comparatively difficult art form and needs a lot of talent to pull off. There is a need to protect this art form," she said. A Bollywood actor from Kashmir, Mir Sarwar, also said that theater art must be revived so that young people are honed for bigger stage, while talking to ETV Bharat.
Many people also believe that theater can be a good alternative entertainment in the Valley bereft of cinemas and multiplexes. Former Director of Doordarshan Kashmir, Shabir Mujahid, also said that revival of theaters in the in the Valley can be a great thing for Kashmiris, both for entertainment as well as exposure. "We are abundant with talent. Our youth aspiring to be actors must take a lead and give us more theater performances," he told ETV Bharat.
However, with the advancement in technology and a plethora of options ranging from big screen multiplexes to small screen OTT platforms, lesser people prefer theater these days. Talking over the same issue, film director and theater artist Mushtaq Ali said that amid the challenge of digital media, revival of theater seems a hard task. "The youth keen on acting and theater have a role to play to revive it. We should not lose hope and motivate them to keep trying," said Ali, while talking to ETV Bharat.
