Quiet often the puppets are colourful but really they don't have to be because you only see the black shadows. In the second picture you can see the people holding the puppets. Normally you can see only the shadows like in the third picture.
Performances may have a religious theme or be an episode from the Ramayana epic which contains dozens of individual stories. They may also be specially written to include up-to-the minute reflections, songs, and poems about local events and matters of current interest in the district or country.