Me And My Plays

Mahesh Dattani’s work has shaped contemporary English theatre in Indian over the past twenty-five years, boldly exploring themes like homosexuality, religious fanaticism, Child sexual abuse and gender bias while also raising the bar for the theatrical innovation. In Me and My Plays, he eloquently reflects on the highs and lows of surviving in a system largely indifferent to professional theatre.

Included in this edition are where Did I Leave My Purdah? Which explores the life and travails of Nazia, a feisty actress now in her eighties, who is forced to confront her past demons when she attempts to stage a comeback, and the Big Fact City, a black comedy about the residents of an apartment complex in Mumbai who unwittingly become accomplices to a murder. Intense and hard-hitting, both plays deal with the lies that simmer beneath the surface of our daily lives.

Mahesh Dattani is a playwright, screen writer, film-maker and stage director with several scripts and productions to his credit.

For his writing he was honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998. He has directed and scripted critically acclaimed films like Mango Souffle and Morning Raga. The script of Morning Raga has been archived by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, USA. His screenplays, along with his stage plays, have been published by Penguin.

Dattani is also a workshop facilitator for several writing and acting courses, having conducted workshops in many parts of the world, most notably at the Portland State University in Oregon, USA. He has collaborated with international theatre companies like Border Crossings, most 'recently in Shanghai with Chinese, Swedish and English actors. He also writes scripts for BBC Radio 4.