With the current Jatra (Odia theatre) season set to conclude during the upcoming Raja festival, theatre troupes across Odisha have already begun preparations for the 2026-27 season with new plays, star casts, and aggressive promotional strategies.

In a major shift from traditional publicity methods, several Jatra parties are now adopting film-style teaser campaigns to attract audiences even before the plays hit the stage. Short promotional videos featuring powerful dialogues, dramatic scenes, songs, and action-packed visuals are being released on social media platforms in an attempt to generate buzz and secure advance bookings.

Popular Jatra groups, including Shibani Gananatya, Singha Bahini, Konark Gananatya, Dhauli Gananatya, Swarna Mahal and Ranga Mahal, are actively promoting upcoming productions through teaser releases. The competition among Jatra troupes to create eye-catching teasers has intensified, with organisers hoping viral social media reach will translate into better business throughout the year.

However, the growing trend has drawn criticism from the Odisha Masters Association (OMA). The outfit president Bijaya Das said teaser culture could negatively affect the originality and artistic depth of traditional Jatra performances.

The association chief argued that excessive focus on viral content may overshadow strong storytelling, literary creativity, and stage presentation.
OMA has also indicated that directors may be advised to stay away from teaser-based promotions in the future. The teaser trend in Jatra was reportedly first introduced a few years ago by director Mahesh Hazra in Bishwa Darabar, after which several other troupes followed the model.

The debate has now sparked larger discussions over whether digital promotion is helping modernise Jatra or slowly weakening its cultural roots.

“Let there be good scripts, good directors, and good groups. We go to watch based on that. We will definitely go if the artists are good. The artists should be good, the Jatra script should be good; and there are several good Jatra parties such as Shibani, Swarnamahal, Konark, one by Piyush,” Rupali Jatra Committee president, Sitakanta Mohapatra, said.

“The heroes are making money, but the audience won’t come just for teasers. As far as I know from my experience, no audience will come for just teasers. And people will come to watch the Jatra group, the script, and the artists,” Mohapatra added.