Mahesh Elkunchwar is one of the most influential playwrights in Indian theatre today. His  plays in Marathi have been translated and performed in multiple Indian languages as well as in English, French and German. Among the numerous awards to his name are the Sahitya Akademi Award for Marathi in 2002 and the Sangeet Naatak Akademi Ratna Sadasya, which was conferred upon him in 2013. Many of his plays have been made into films – Holi was directed by Ketan Mehta, Party by Govind Nihalani and Sonata by Aparna Sen.

Elkunchwar's plays are contemporary, with urban settings. Sahitya Akademi Award winner and playwright Mahesh Dattani emphasizes that Elkunchwar is important for various reasons but primarily because “...he captures a society in transition. Like Chekhov, he too is fascinated by rural/feudal values and urban aspirations.”

We are delighted that Maheshji will be here in person for the last two performances of Sonata on August 24th and 25th. There will be a Talkback after both shows. Since the runtime of the play is just 90 minutes, we will start the talkback immediately after the curtain call.

Live Mint article and Wikipedia entry on Mahesh Elkunchwar.