Satish Alekar, Mahesh Elkunchwar, and Vijay Tendulkar constitute the trinity who wrote and produced some of the most influential and progressive plays of modern Indian theatre, and in doing so, shaped modern Marathi theatre. This volume of Satish Alekar's plays includes some of his finest works in translation: Mahaniravan, Mahapoor, Atirekee, Pidhijat, Begum Barve, and Mickey ani Memsahib. Alekar uses colloquialisms, traditional Maharashtrian performance practices, black humour, and devices from the theatre of the absurd to create an oblique sense of reality in his plays.

The first part of the book includes Mahanirvan (1974), which broaches a subject considered taboo in Indian theatre--death--and defuses the sense of horror surrounding it to show it as an everyday occurrence. The second play, Mahapoor (1975), presents a picture of the middle-class youth of India, torn between the philosophy taught to them and the grim reality of their existence. Atirekee (1990) takes a hard look at terrorism and presents it as a phenomenon that emerges from the circumstances of modern society. Pidhijat (2003), Alekar's most recent play, is a devastating satire on the malleability of morality in both 'tradition' and 'modernity'.

The second part includes two plays--Begum Barve and Mickey ani Memsahib. Begum Barve (1979) is a lament for the cultural forms that are lost to modernity. Barve is a throwback to the lost era of Marathi musicals and the play is about the protagonist's final attempt at living his life on his own terms--an attempt that is cruelly crushed, sadly, by his long-time partner. Mickey ani Memsahib (1973) is a surreal play about an Amazonian woman who controls her scientist husband physically and mentally, who in turn seeks his escape through his scientific experiments. The plot, almost novelistic, is a brilliant satire on the nature of scientific modernity.

The plays have been translated by Gauri Deshpande, Urmila Bhirdikar, Alok Bhalla with Jayant Dhupkar, Pramod Kale, Shanta Gokhale, and Priya Adarkar. Each part of the volume is prefaced by a critical introduction by noted theatre critic, Samik Bandyopadhyay. This volume also includes an interview of Satish Alekar by Bandyopadhyay.Rare photographs of the productions of these plays constitute a special section in the book. A must for students and scholars of modern Indian theatre and cultural studies, this book will also be of interest to scholars of Indian literature in translation.

Collected Plays of Mahesh Elkunchwar

Product Description

Collected Plays of Mahesh Elkunchwar is a collection of six critically acclaimed plays - 'Garbo', 'Desire in the Rocks', 'Old Stone Mansion', 'Reflection', 'Sonata', and 'An Actor Exits' - of the noted Marathi playwright. 'Garbo' is the story of four outsiders who come together with their 'outsiderness' as a bond between them, and try to find purpose, beauty, or meaning in the world by living 'other' lives. While 'Desire in the Rocks' is a story of incest on one level and a deep probe into the meanings of 'fact and truth', passion and infatuation, creativity and sterility.
'Old Stone Mansion' portrays how the old order yields to the new. 'Reflection' is a play about losing identity in a faceless crowd in a mega city, and the alienation of individuals from themselves, from the society, and from the cosmos. 'Sonata', a story of three independent career women in a metropolis, living life on their terms and conditions and bonded together by their femininity, is a story of bonding, betrayal, and forgiveness.

'An Actor Exits' tries to explore an actor's relationship with his director, with his medium, his body, and finally his mortality.Translated into English by Shanta Gokhale, Supantha Bhattacharya, and the playwright himself, this volume includes a Foreword by Girish Karnad and an introduction by noted theatre critic Samik Bandyopadhyay. With interesting details about each of the six plays, photographs of the staging of the plays, and critical notes on theatre by Mahesh Elkunchwar, the volume will appeal to students and researchers of modern Indian theatre, Indian literature in translation, and cultural studies, as well as general readers and theatre lovers.

About the Author

Mahesh Elkunchwar is an acclaimed playwright, actor, and screenwriter. He is also well-known for his theoretical writings and critical works. Shanta Gokhale is a freelance writer. She was formerly Arts Editor with The Times of India Mumbai. Supantha Bhattacharya is Professor, Department of English, Hislop College, Nagpur.