Srinagar, Sep 10: The cameras may have been trained on the stars, filmmakers and the world of cinema at the maiden International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK), but it was Kashmir’s centuries-old folk theatre, Bande Pather, that offered a different kind of spectacle—raw, earthy and deeply rooted in the Valley’s cultural memory.
As performers took the stage, their colourful costumes, lively movements, satire and traditional music drew the attention of filmmakers, actors and singers attending the festival, giving the visiting film fraternity a glimpse into a form of storytelling that has survived generations.
For the Bande Pather performers, the festival offered an opportunity not merely to entertain but to introduce a wider audience to one of Kashmir’s oldest performing traditions.
“Bande Pather is not just a performance; it is the voice of the people. Through humour, satire and characters, we talk about society, its problems and its changing times,” said a member of the performing troupe.
He said the folk theatre had traditionally travelled from village to village, bringing people together in open spaces and turning everyday experiences into stories that could make audiences laugh while also making them think.
“People would gather in large numbers to watch Bande Pather. There was no cinema, television or social media, but this theatre connected people with stories, music and one another,” he said.
The performers said the art form’s greatest strength lies in its simplicity.
“Our stage can be anywhere. We do not need huge sets or expensive equipment. We need performers, music and an audience. The story comes alive through performance,” another artist said.
At IFFJK, the traditional performance also struck a chord with members of the film fraternity, many of whom found parallels between folk theatre and contemporary cinema.
Artists associated with Bande Pather said the folk form has always possessed the ingredients of good cinema—characters, conflict, humour, emotion, music and social commentary.
“Bande Pather has stories everywhere. Kashmir itself is a story, and our tradition has preserved many of those stories through performance,” one performer said.
The artists believe greater exposure through platforms such as IFFJK could help take Bande Pather beyond Kashmir and introduce it to audiences unfamiliar with the region’s indigenous theatre.
“We want young people to see Bande Pather not as something belonging only to the past, but as a living tradition. It can evolve without losing its soul,” the performer said.
For many in the audience, the performance became a cultural window into Kashmir beyond its celebrated landscapes. While the festival showcased films from India and abroad, Bande Pather reminded visitors that Kashmir’s storytelling tradition existed long before the arrival of the camera.
As the performers concluded their act, the applause from the audience offered a fitting tribute to an art form that has endured changing times.
For Bande Pather, the IFFJK stage was more than a performance space—it was a meeting point between Kashmir’s cultural past and its emerging cinematic future.
