Nautanki is a nomadic folk theatre that flourished in the Indian Subcontinent. This operatic presentation is heavily influenced by song, music and movements. Clever lyrical presentation had been popular in the 19th and 20th century especially in small towns. However, with the popularity of cinema and television, Nautanki as an art-form has declined and the practitioners, musicians and performers have moved onto various other livings.
Recently the term Nautanki has become synonymous with overacting melodrama. Presence of Nautanki as an art-form still can be found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, parts of Fiji, Sri Lanka and in the Caribbean.
Nautanki is pronounced as “now-tan-ki”. Growing South Asian diaspora in Australia immediately relates to this name. The word brings a lot of colour, diversity and inclusiveness to the Australian stage.
Nautanki Theatre in Australia:
Nautanki Theatre Company is a Western Sydney based organisation that works for cultural development, community engagement, education and training through live performing arts. Nautanki Theatre provides artistic platforms for emerging talent with an ethnic backgrounds, telling alternate and new stories from CaLD communities. Currently the company’s artistic focus lies in storytelling that connects contemporary Australian society with the South Asian diaspora. Nautanki is in the process of creating a new audience base representing the demography of Parramatta, Blacktown, the Hills District and parts of the Inner City.
Neel Banerjee 