Immersive technology is revolutionizing storytelling, but without traditional foundations like theatre, music, and live performance, the evolution of authentic narrative risks becoming shallow, synthetic, and emotionally disconnected. Vinta Nanda writes.

In today’s rapidly evolving entertainment industry, immersive storytelling through virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and AI-enhanced experiences is capturing the attention of global audiences like never before. Whether it’s a multi-sensory concert at the Las Vegas Sphere or an interactive VR journey through history, experience-based entertainment is reshaping how we engage with stories. But as technology continues to evolve, there’s a growing concern that the traditional forms of storytelling—live theatre, classical music, puppetry, and other analogue formats—are being left behind. To truly innovate, creators must preserve and reimagine these roots. Without them, the soul of storytelling is at risk, and the immersive experiences of the future may lose their emotional authenticity.  

The Future of Storytelling Needs Its Past

We’re living in a golden age of immersive storytelling. Across the world, audiences are stepping into digital landscapes—from walking inside Van Gogh’s brushstrokes in a VR gallery to feeling the simulated wind and warmth of Dorothy’s journey to Oz in a sensory-enhanced space. The boundary between viewer and story is dissolving. What once required imagination is now being delivered through multisensory spectacle.  

The entertainment industry is pouring billions into technologies that heighten immersion—shared reality environments, spatial audio systems, scent emitters, and haptic suits that allow users to physically feel a narrative in real time. Companies like Cosm and AMAZE are leading the way with virtual concert halls and immersive venues, while platforms such as Unreal Engine and Unity empower creators to design richly cinematic, interactive experiences. Today’s audiences no longer want to passively watch—they want to step inside the story. But as this revolution accelerates, a deeper question emerges: when we exhaust the catalogue of existing narratives, will we be adding truly authentic, original stories to the mix—or simply rehashing the same ones in new, shinier formats?

Technology Needs Tradition to Thrive

Technological innovation may offer new dimensions, but it cannot generate meaning on its own. The engines that drive these immersive experiences—no matter how complex—still run on an ancient fuel: story. And story is born of tradition.

It’s shaped in the rehearsal rooms of local theatres, in the oral storytelling of communities, in classical concerts, and on the hand-painted stages of folk performers. These aren’t relics—they’re roots. Without them, immersive media risks becoming a hollow spectacle: stunning in form, but shallow in feeling.

To advocate for traditional storytelling is not to reject innovation. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s to protect the emotional resonance that makes new formats worthwhile. When tradition and technology work together, storytelling reaches its full potential.  

Mumbai’s Micro Theatres: A Case in Point

Nowhere is this synergy more visible than in Mumbai’s evolving theatre scene. Pioneers like Raell Padamsee, Lillette Dubey, Nadira Zaheer Babbar, Qasar Padamsee, Naseeruddin Shah, and Ratna Pathak Shah are keeping theatrical craft alive while engaging with new formats. Their work reaffirms that storytelling still thrives in shared, physical spaces—even in an increasingly digitized world.

Artists like Makrand Deshpande, Juuhi Sonie Babbar, Divya Jagdale and Avneesh Mishra are also forging new paths, often working in intimate venues with young actors and audiences. Meanwhile, fresh voices like Jahaan Singh and Rayaan Khatib are developing contemporary stories through micro theatre, a format defined by brevity, intimacy, and direct engagement. These creators are not rejecting digital tools—they’re using them to enrich the theatre, not replace it.

Their commitment reveals a profound truth: the human experience cannot be replicated unless it is experienced. And thanks to their work, theatre in Mumbai and beyond isn’t merely surviving—it’s expanding. It’s becoming a hotbed of innovation, experimentation, and cultural revival.

The danger in rushing toward immersive-only experiences is that we may lose the very essence that makes storytelling powerful: emotional authenticity. What gives traditional formats their lasting appeal is their imperfection—the tremble in a live actor’s voice, the risk in an improvised jazz solo, or the silence before a stage lights up.

These human moments can’t be coded. They’re the pulse that turns narrative into connection. If immersive platforms don’t anchor themselves in this emotional truth, they risk becoming simulations rather than stories. And while simulation may entertain, it rarely endures. 

Hybrid Thinking Is the Way Forward

True innovation doesn’t come from replacing the old with the new—it comes from merging them. Hybrid storytelling is where the real magic unfolds, inviting creators to ask: how can the narrative tools of the past inform the technologies of the future? This convergence is already taking shape around the world. At this year’s Cannes Festival, storytelling spilled beyond traditional cinemas into unconventional spaces—taxis, VR games, sensory pods, and even shock simulators—creating multisensory experiences that engage audiences not only visually, but emotionally and physically. Independent film festivals are also playing a vital role in this evolution. Events like the debuting Waterfront Indie Film Festival in Mumbai, the 20th anniversary of Tasveer Seattle, and the vibrant Kashish Pride Film Festival in Mumbai, among many others across the globe, are helping to sustain the truth of storytelling and preserve the art and craft of cinema in all its diverse, evolving forms.

Such platforms don’t erase tradition—they reinterpret it. Imagine introducing classical music to a Gen Z gamer through interactive audio-visual experiences, or reimagining Shakespeare for an Instagram audience with AR filters and spatial sound. The more flexible and imaginative we become, the more meaning our stories can carry—and the broader the audiences they can reach.

Cultural Legacy Is a Responsibility

With great creative power comes a profound cultural responsibility. Artists and entertainers must not only innovate boldly, but also protect the legacies that give their work depth. These aren’ t just aesthetic traditions—they’re ancestral, spiritual, and emotionally rich.

And yet, traditional storytelling is increasingly endangered. In many regions, funding for local theatre is shrinking. Fewer students are pursuing classical training. As we rush toward immersive futures, we risk losing the diverse cultural perspectives that make stories truly meaningful.

Innovation must not mean erasure. To build immersive futures with soul, we must carry forward the wisdom, rhythm, and emotional depth of traditional forms. Without this, our VR worlds and AI-generated landscapes will remain visually stunning—but spiritually vacant. 

The Evolution of Story Demands Both Worlds

The future of storytelling is not a zero-sum game between the traditional and the technological. Instead, it is a vibrant convergence—a fusion of timeless emotion and cutting-edge experience. The most powerful stories of tomorrow will be those rooted deeply in the past, yet alive in the present. So as we step boldly into the immersive frontier, let us take our traditions with us.

Because without our roots, even the most advanced stories will fail to grow.