Mahesh Dattani

Mahesh

Final Solutions

A Play in Two Acts

Tara

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Tara and Chandan have always been close. They were, after all, born as conjoined twins. But a horrific revelation drives a wedge between the siblings, plunging Chandan into a cycle of guilt and blame from which he cannot escape. One of Mahesh Dattani's most popular works, Tara was also one of the first Indian plays in English to highlight the dangers of gender discrimination, and the insidious ways in which it operates in our society. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

A Stage Play (Penguin Petit)

Bravely Fought the Queen

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri In this stage adaptation of his radio play of the same name, Mahesh Dattani weaves an enthralling murder mystery featuring amateur sleuth Uma Rao, wife of Bangalore’s Superintendent of Police. Following the brutal murder of Kamla, a beautiful eunuch, Uma’s investigation leads her into the mysterious world of the hijra community, where shocking truths and labyrinthine conspiracies abound. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Seven Steps around the Fire

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri On a Muggy Night in Mumbai is the first contemporary Indian play to openly tackle gay themes of love, partnership, trust and betrayal. Kamlesh—young, gay and clinically depressed—invites his friends home ostensibly for an evening of camaraderie. However, with the arrival of his sister and her fiancé, a series of dramatic confrontations is set into motion, leading to startling revelations and unexpected catharsis. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

On a Muggy night in Mumbai

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri In this cleverly constructed radio play, negotiations are underway for an arranged marriage between Alpesh Patel and Lata Gowda. Despite their cultural differences, both their families are desperate for this match. But while all seems genial on the surface, tension simmers beneath the happy facade—for both Alpesh and Lata have their own secrets to hide . . . ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

A Radio Play (Penguin Petit)

Do the Needful

Twenty years ago, Anna Gosweb had an affair with a local man while visiting India from the UK. Having never kept in touch after the trip, Anna is surprised when she receives a letter from him asking for help. As she comes back to India, she relives her past, not quite knowing what's in store for her ahead. The Tale of a Mother Feeding her Child was commissioned as part of a landmark drama series marking the 600th death anniversary of Geoffrey Chaucer, poet and author of the Canterbury Tales. Produced by the BBC, the series included the works of twenty-one writers who were asked to write a story which might be re-told to a group of travellers forced to spend the night together at a service station on a motorway in England. Poignant and subversive, like most of Mahesh Dattani's work, this is a vibrant, entertaining and challenging contemporary drama that stays with you long after you've read the last lines.

The Tale of a Mother feeding her Child

Abhinay wants to start a music group and while he has a singer, a guitarist, a drummer and lots of talent, he feels there is something missing—something that he finds only in Swarnalatha, a Carnatic singer, who was his mother's best friend. But Swarnalatha has her own demons to fight—the fateful accident that killed her son and Abhinay's mother. A meeting of two worlds, Morning Raga brings together the modern and the traditional, unites the past with the present, Carnatic music with Western music, and fate and coincidence with individual choices. Read this wonderful screenplay of the critically acclaimed film Morning Raga, which was directed and written by Mahesh Dattani. The film, starring Shabana Azmi, Perizaad Zorabian and Prakash Kovelamudi was released in India in October 2004.

A Screenplay (Penguin Petit)

Morning Raga

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Clearing the Rubble, a radio play for three voices, was commissioned by BBC Radio to commemorate the first anniversary of the massive earthquake that devastated Gujarat on 26 January 2001. Two lives are brought together by tragedy. Toby, an English journalist, decides to help a young Muslim boy whose mother and two sisters are buried under the debris of the fallen hospital. The play is a touching tale of the victims of both natural calamity and social discrimination. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Clearing the Rubble

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Final Solutions is one of Mahesh Dattani's most renowned and widely performed plays. Moving between the Partition of India and the present day, it explores issues of religious bigotry and communal violence. One night, after being chased by a murderous mob, two Muslim boys seek shelter in the home of a Hindu Gujarati family. The boys' arrival unleashes a flood of bitter memories and deep-seated prejudices. And as the tension builds towards a powerful climax, the play becomes a timely reminder of the need for tolerance. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Final Solutions and Other Plays

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Seven Steps Around the Fire is the first in a series of radio plays featuring the amateur sleuth Uma Rao, wife of Bangalore’s Superintendent of Police. When Kamla, a beautiful eunuch, is brutally murdered, Uma’s investigation takes her on an unexpected journey into the mysterious world of the hijra community, revealing hidden realities and shocking truths. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Thirty Days in September remains one of the bravest contemporary Indian plays to seriously deal with child sexual abuse. As a child, Mala was sexually abused by her uncle—a fact she suspects her mother has known about all along despite her refusal to acknowledge it. But the fragile fabric of familial relations is ripped apart when memories of a traumatic past return to haunt both mother and daughter. Performed extensively to critical acclaim and commercial success, this play powerfully explores the brutal severance of the unbreakable bond between adult and child. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Thirty Days in September

Brief Candle: Three Plays brings together the most recent work of Sahitya Akademi award-winner Mahesh Dattani as he continues to explore subjects that need to be addressed but are relentlessly brushed under the carpet of middle-class morality—incest; gender bias and death. The title play is set in a hospital ward where terminally ill patients put up an energetic farce in memory of their friend who died of cancer. The blurring of lines between their romp and the events of their own lives leads to revelations that are both tragic and life-affirming. In the radio play The Girl Who Touched the Stars; Bhavna—now an astronaut ready to take off on a mission into outer space—reflects on her past in this moment of glory; only to confront the bitter truths she has tried to ignore all her life. The fragile fabric of familial relations is ripped apart in Thirty Days in September when memories of a traumatic past return to haunt a mother and her daughter. Playful and poignant; devastating and redemptive; these critically acclaimed plays lay bare the far-reaching consequences of the choices we make; confirming Dattani as one of India’s foremost dramatists.

Three Plays

BRIEF CANDLE

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri A witty and enjoyable black comedy, Where There’s a Will was Mahesh Dattani's first play. Following the death of business tycoon Hasmukh Mehta, his family is in for a rude shock: Hasmukh's mischievous will stipulates that they will not inherit his wealth anytime soon and, worse, his mistress must come to stay with them. But while Hasmukh's ghost gleefully watches the proceedings from the sidelines, little does he know that he is in for the biggest surprise of all. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Where There's a Will

‘A playwright of world stature’—Mario Relich, Wasafiri Framed by the age-old battle between traditional authority and youthful rebellion, Dance Like a Man pivots on the strained relationship between Jairaj Parekh and his wife Ratna, both ageing Bharatanatayam dancers. When their daughter arranges for them to meet the boy she wants to marry, the fissures in the elderly couple's relationship come to the fore. As old wounds are torn open again, both Jairaj and Ratna find that they must come to terms with their bitter past. The play was later adapted into a National Award-winning film. ‘At last we have a playwright who gives sixty million English-speaking Indians an identity’—Alyque Padamsee ‘Powerful and disturbing’—The New York Times

Dance like a Man

Santwana Haldar

Includes short life and works of Mahesh Dattani, b. 1958, Indian English playwright and critical perspectives by various contributors.

A Critical Study

Mahesh Dattani's Tara

Brief Candle: Three Plays brings together the most recent work of Sahitya Akademi award-winner Mahesh Dattani as he continues to explore subjects that need to be addressed but are relentlessly brushed under the carpet of middle-class morality—incest, gender bias and death. The title play is set in a hospital ward where terminally ill patients put up an energetic farce in memory of their friend who died of cancer. The blurring of lines between their romp and the events of their own lives leads to revelations that are both tragic and life-affirming. In the radio play The Girl Who Touched the Stars, Bhavna—now an astronaut ready to take off on a mission into outer space—reflects on her past in this moment of glory, only to confront the bitter truths she has tried to ignore all her life. The fragile fabric of familial relations is ripped apart in Thirty Days in September when memories of a traumatic past return to haunt a mother and her daughter. Playful and poignant, devastating and redemptive, these critically acclaimed plays lay bare the far-reaching consequences of the choices we make, confirming Dattani as one of India’s foremost dramatists.

Brief Candle

Mahesh Dattani is the first Indian-playwright writing in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi award. His plays bring Indian drama into the present day in their themes "sexuality, religious tension and gender issues" while still focussing on human relationships and personal and moral choices which are the classic concerns of world drama.

Mahesh Dattani

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