The folk drama 'Therukoothu' belongs to:

"Therukoothu" ("street play") is a traditional folk theatre form of Tamil Nadu. It is also performed by Tamil communities in Sri Lanka.

About Therukoothu:

• "Theru" means "street" and "koothu" means "performance", because it was traditionally performed in village streets and open spaces.
• It combines drama, dance, music, songs and storytelling.
• It is mainly performed in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, such as Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Villupuram.
• It is usually performed at night, from late evening until dawn, during village temple festivals, especially those of the goddess Draupadi Amman and Mariamman.
• Its stories are mostly from the Mahabharata (especially episodes involving Draupadi), the Ramayana and local legends.
• All the roles, including female roles, were traditionally played by men.
• The actors wear colourful costumes, large headdresses, ornaments and heavy make-up.

A character called the "Kattiyakaran" acts as the narrator, clown and stage manager. He introduces characters, comments on the story and entertains the audience with humour.

The music is provided by instruments such as the harmonium, mridangam and mukhaveenai (a small reed instrument).

Purisai Kannappa Thambiran and his family are well-known Therukoothu artists who helped preserve and modernise the art form. The "Kattaikkuttu Sangam" also works to preserve it.

Other folk theatre forms of India:

• Yakshagana: Karnataka.
• Bhagavata Mela: Tamil Nadu (dance-drama of Melattur).
• Jatra: West Bengal and Odisha.
• Tamasha: Maharashtra.
• Nautanki: Uttar Pradesh.
• Bhavai: Gujarat.
• Ankiya Naat (Bhaona): Assam.
• Bhand Pather: Kashmir.
• Maach: Madhya Pradesh.
• Mudiyettu: Kerala (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2010).
• Kudiyattam: Kerala (ancient Sanskrit theatre; UNESCO, 2008).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Karnataka is known for Yakshagana.
• ✗Kerala is known for Kudiyattam and Mudiyettu.
• ✗Andhra Pradesh is known for Burrakatha and Veedhi Natakam.