Mahesh Dattani was born in 1958 in Bangalore. He is an Indian actor, director and writer as well. His basic interest is theatre. At the initial stage, he used to work as a copywriter in an advertising firm but in 1986 he came out with his play Where There’s Will. He is the first Indian playwright who has been awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for his excellent presentation of Final Solution.
Dance Like a Man was published in 1989. The drama revolves around the dreams and reality. It is a story of a dancer couple and their family. The play is a brilliant presentation of Lata’s world, a classical dancer. The drama is full of suspense, which travels through the past and the present.
Final Solutions, published in 1993, is written against the backdrop of the Hindu- Muslim riots in India after the partition. Hardika does not like the Muslims and Smita is not allowed to keep any relationship with any Muslim boy, as Hardika’s father was killed during the violence of the partition being betrayed by a Muslim friend Zarine. Things get clearer when the two Muslim boys Babban and Javed take shelter on being chased by the Hindu mob.
Seven Steps around the Fire was published in 1998. It is considered to be a radio play. It is the story of Subbu, the son of a wealthy government minister. He marries Kamala, a hermaphrodite. When the father comes to know, he killed Kamala and prepares a grand ceremony to arrange his son’s marriage to an accepted girl. At the wedding, Subbu finds that the other hermaphrodites are singing and dancing and after seeing this, he commits suicide.
SELECTED WORKS
Plays
- Dance Like a Man (1989)
- Tara (1990)
- Bravely Fought the Quen (1991)
- Final Solutions (1993)
- On a Muggy Nighıt in Mumbai (1998)
- Seven Circles Round The Fire (Radio play for BBC). (1998)
- 30 Days in September (2001)
- Brief Candle (2009)
Awards
1998 Dance Like a Man has won the award for the Best Picture in English awarded by the National Panorama.
1998 Sahitya Academy Award for his book of plays Final Solutions and Other Plays.