Indian folk theatre can be broadly categorized into two main types: religious and secular, which gave rise to Ritual Theatre and Theatre of Entertainment, respectively.
These two forms developed alongside one another, influencing each other in various ways.
Folk and traditional theatre forms are often primarily narrative or vocal in nature, relying on singing and recitation, with examples such as Ramlila, Rasleela, Nautanki, and Swang, and typically do not involve complex gestures or dance elements.
While each of these theatrical styles has its own distinct form based on local traditions, they differ in aspects such as execution, staging, costumes, makeup, and acting styles, though they share some broad similarities.
