Cultural Politics of Popular Performances: The Structure and Representation of the Odia Jatra explores how, as a consequence of modernity, the hybridization of living theatre forms like jatra, allows ‘authentic’ folk traditions to not only survive but flourish by taking on new shapes without losing their traditional identity. The evolution of jatra from folk theatre in the premodern era to popular/mass theatre in modern Odisha has led to it attaining a dominant position in the entertainment industry. It is consumed by a large audience and is mediated by mechanisms of the capitalist market, surpassing the scale of modern Odia cinema. By responding to socio-cultural forces, it has expanded its cultural consumption, production and participation, and now caters to the entertainment needs of the masses in both urban and rural areas.

This book explores how this dominant form has revived mythological interpretations in modern, secular stories, thereby creating new spectacles in the countryside by producing a cinematic-hybrid culture in the changing social structure of modern-day Odisha.