Amal Allana Biography 
Amal Allana is a theatre director, scenic designer and costume designer and at present, Chairperson of National School of Drama. She along with her husband Nissar Allana founded Dramatic Art and Design Academy in the year 2000 and she runs this institution as well. She is the daughter of Ebrahim Alkazi, noted theatre director and the first director of the National School of Drama. She is the chairperson of NSD continuously for the second term. In 1998 she received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction. As a theatre director, she has directed over 55 plays in Hindi and many of those plays are regarded as trendsetters.
Amal was born on September 1947 in Mumbai as the daughter of noted theater artist, Ebrahim Alkazi. Her mother Roshan Alkazi is a costume designer of Ebrahim’s plays. Theatre director Alyque Padamsee is her maternal uncle. Her brother Feisal Alkazi is also a theatre director. As she belonged to an artist’ family, she got close contact with great artists, writers and theatre personalities of that time, who used to regularly visit them. She also observed her father’s theater rehearsals at home. After schooling, she joined NSD as a student and in 1968, she graduated in direction. She alos won the Girish Gosh Award for Best Director and the Bharat Purushkar for the best all-round student.
In 1969, she received a scholarship to study the work of Bertolt Brecht which gave her opportunity to do a two-year apprenticeship in many German theaters. She returned to India and directed a play in Urdu in 1970 - Teen takke ka swang. Her collaboration with her husband, Nissar Allana started in 1971. Later she produced many successful plays of which a few need special mention; Aadhe Adhure, Khamosh, Adalat Jari Hai, Ashadh Ka Ek Din, Tughlaq, Hayavadana, Mahabhoj, King Lear, Himmat Mai, Nati Binodini and Begum Barve.
Published: N/A
Updated: February 19, 2014
