Mahesh Dattani Biography 
Mahesh Dattani is an Indian playwright, actor and director who is the first playwright in English to receive Sahitya Akademi award. He has written successful plays for acclaimed play directors like Arvind Gaur, Alyque Padamsee and Lillete Dubey. Thirty Days in September, Dance Like a Man, Final Solutions, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara and Bravely Fought the Queen are his noted plays as a playwright.His plays are often described as `total theatre'. He often incorporates dance forms in his plays. He is trained in Bharatnatyam and ballet too.
He is the director and screenwriter of critically acclaimed movie, Morning Raaga which portrayed the life of a Carnatic singer, the title role being played by Shabana Azmi. Mango Souffle was his debut feature film and it was based on one of his noted plays. Dance Like a Man and Ekalagmausam are other directorial ventures as a film director. Dance Like a Man won the award for the Best Picture in English at Indian panorama in the year 1998.
His association with theater plays began during his childhood days. Very soon he noticed that a very good script is needed for a good play and that’s how he started writing. He also seriously watched plays to observe something new from it and he regularly attended plays held in Bangalore. Madhu Rye's Koi Pun Ek Phool Nu Naam Bolo was one of the plays he watched during childhood that fascinated him a lot. When the Bangalore Little Theatre was formed, he got seriously associated with plays. Apart from playwright, he also associated with theatre works as an actor and play director.
Published: N/A
Updated: April 22, 2014
