A Sastriya Framework for the Adaptation of the Foundational Principles of Classical Indian Dance and Theatre through AI and Machine Learning

This study proposes a novel Śāstrīya framework for adapting classical Indian dance and theatre into artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and virtual production systems, addressing the urgent need to preserve and recontextualise traditional arts in the digital age. Grounded in Bharata's Nāṭyaśāstra and Abhinavagupta's Abhinavabhāratī, the research synthesises textual hermeneutics, paramparā praxis, and technical experimentation through an interdisciplinary methodology. Textual analysis computationally encodes śāstric principles, rasa-bhāva theory, abhinaya codification, and nāṭya-dharmī/lokadharmī dynamics into machine-readable formats (TEI XML, graph databases) to train AI models. At the same time, ethnographic inquiry draws on a decade of training under Śrī Piyāl Bhaṭṭācārya, incorporating case studies with practitioners to reconcile tacit performance knowledge with algorithmic logic. Leveraging the author's dual expertise as a VFX line producer and digital transformation consultant, applied experiments deploy markerless motion capture (Intel RealSense), neural radiance fields (NeRF), and generative AI (GPT-4/RAG) to prototype tools for śāstric-aligned choreography, virtual maṇḍapas (Unreal Engine), and AI-driven pedagogy. Ethical engineering prioritises cultural fidelity: crowdsourced datasets of mudrās and karanas mitigate Western-centric biases, while retroreflective costume threads and guru-śiṣya validation councils ensure technologies enhance, rather than erode, traditional aesthetics. To validate this approach, we propose employing dual metrics, comprising primarily śāstric peer review (e.g., abhinaya sequence compliance) followed by biometric audience testing (EEG, gaze tracking)-to quantify emotional resonance (rasa) in digital versus live performances. The intention behind this proposed framework is to offer a bridge between Indological scholarship, performing arts paramparā, and AI engineering, creating a scalable global cultural heritage preservation model by demonstrating how śāstric rigour can guide ethical, technological integration without compromising artistic sanctity. The study also suggests a replicable blueprint to utilise modern technological advancements as a digital upavīṇā, a supportive, non-invasive tool, to make tradition and the accelerating techno-cultural shifts go hand in hand.