Girish Karnad on TV's Role: Not a Threat, But a Bridge to Wider Audiences

When Girish Karnad said television didn't threaten theatre, served audiences who couldn't afford entertainment

Mumbai, June 10

Further arguing that the rise of television and video should not be viewed as a threat to theatre, Girish had said that it should be viewed as means of bringing art and entertainment to a wider audience.

Reflecting on the evolution of performing arts, Karnad, in an old interview with Doordarshan, noted that Indian entertainment had continuously adapted to changing times.

He pointed out that folk theatre dominated the 19th century before company theatre emerged, followed by cinema in the 1930s. He emphasized on how the subsequent arrival of television and video only expanded the number of artistic mediums available to audiences.

Speaking about the changing landscape, Karnad said, "How to make theatre prosper is another question, you know, we have to go into the mechanics of it. But the point is, in the 19th century there was only folk theatre, then we got company theatres, then in the 30s we got films. Then came television, then there's video, and so the number of art forms is proliferating, and it's available, it's reaching further."

The acclaimed writer had stressed that television played an important social role by reaching people who otherwise had little or no access to cultural experiences.

"I don't regret that, because I think television and video go to people who could never dream of coming to theatre, who couldn't afford theatre, women, servants, people who are bedridden, menials. I wouldn't regret television at all, because they entertain people who had no entertainment before," he said.

Talking about Girish Karnad, he was widely regarded as one of India's most influential literary and cultural figures.

Girish Karnad, for the uninitiated, was a playwright, actor, director and public intellectual whose work transformed modern Indian theatre. His acclaimed plays, including 'Tughlaq', 'Hayavadana', 'Nagamandala', 'Yayati' and 'Taledanda', are even till today considered landmarks of contemporary Indian drama.

Apart from his contributions to theatre, Karnad enjoyed a distinguished career in cinema. As an actor, he appeared in notable films such as 'Manthan', 'Nishant', 'Swami', 'Iqbal', 'Dor', 'Ek Tha Tiger' and with 'Tiger Zinda Hai' as his last. He had also directed and written many acclaimed films and was honoured with some of India's highest civilian and artistic awards, including the Jnanpith Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

For the uninitiated, Girish Karnad passed away in June 2019 at the age of 81.

— IANS