Modern Indian theatre developed due to the change in the socio political set up in India. Theatre before the independence of India was primarily a weapon to protest against the "British Raj". However it is certainly not an overstatement to say that the two hundred years of British colonialism brought the Indian theatre into a direct contact with the western theatre. Curiously, the very kernel of the modish aspects of the contemporary theatre was sown at that period. The harmonious blend of eastern and western culture gave birth to a rather modern form of Indian theatre.

To entertain the British soldiers and the citizens for acclimatizing themselves to a foreign country like India, Indian theatre gradually became a replication of the western plots. Also, for the first time in India, the practice of writing and theatre was running full fledged. Realistic approach and naturalistic presentation marked the change in the thematic development of Indian theatre. Gone were the days of the lives of heroes, Gods, celestial beings and myths of the ancient India; on the contrary it is the common man, their daily chores, their fears and tears were ideally portrayed in the modern Indian theatre. That was just the beginning of the journey of modern Indian theatre. However, it was with the thriving development of the different "Brand Theatres" during the beginning of the 19th