Mahesh Elkunchwar
Encyclopedia
Mahesh Elkunchwar is an India
n playwright
with more than 15 plays to his name, in addition to his theoretical writings, critical works, and his active work in India's Parallel Cinema
as actor and screenwriter.
Born to a Telugu Brahmin
family in Parwa, Maharashtra
and raised outside of Indian urban centers, Elkunchwar has experimented with many forms of dramatic expression, ranging from the realistic to symbolic, expressionist
to absurd theatre. Having influenced modern Indian theatre for more than three decades, Elkunchwar emerged onto the national theatre scene with his play Sultan in 1967. A number of commercial hits followed such as Holi (1969), Raktapushpa (1971), Party (1972), Virasat (1982), and Atamkatha (1987). Elkunchwar's plays are written in Marathi
, the Indian language that is spoken by approximately ninety million people. The plays have been subsequently translated into multiple Indian and Western languages (including English
, French
and German
).
In 1984, his play, Holi was made into a film, Holi
by Ketan Mehta
, for which he wrote the screenplay, and in the same year, Govind Nihalani
, directed a film, Party
, based on his eponymous play.
Elkunchwar's plays have gained national and international critical attention, and his growing body of work has become part of India's post-colonial theatrical canon. He has been honored in India with the Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1976–78), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
, annual award for best playwright (given by the National Academy of the Performing Arts, 1989), Nandika (1989), Maharashta Gaurav (1990), the Maharashtra Foundation Award (1997), the Sahitya Akademi Award
(given by the National Academy of Letters, 2002), and the Saraswathi Samman, one of India's highest literary awards (2003), and internationally with the Brittingham Fellowship (2005). The prestigious Janasthan Puraskar was pronounced on him on Jan 17, 2011 for his service to the theater.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
with more than 15 plays to his name, in addition to his theoretical writings, critical works, and his active work in India's Parallel Cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
as actor and screenwriter.
Born to a Telugu Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family in Parwa, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and raised outside of Indian urban centers, Elkunchwar has experimented with many forms of dramatic expression, ranging from the realistic to symbolic, expressionist
Expressionist theater
Expressionism is a modernist movement in drama and theatre that developed in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century and later in the United States...
to absurd theatre. Having influenced modern Indian theatre for more than three decades, Elkunchwar emerged onto the national theatre scene with his play Sultan in 1967. A number of commercial hits followed such as Holi (1969), Raktapushpa (1971), Party (1972), Virasat (1982), and Atamkatha (1987). Elkunchwar's plays are written in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, the Indian language that is spoken by approximately ninety million people. The plays have been subsequently translated into multiple Indian and Western languages (including English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
).
In 1984, his play, Holi was made into a film, Holi
Holi (film)
Holi is a 1984 Indian film, directed by Ketan Mehta, whose socially conscious work has been compared to American director, Spike Lee. The film is based on eponymous play by Marathi writer, Mahesh Elkunchwar...
by Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta is an Indian film director, who has also directed documentaries and television serials.-Early life and education:Born in Navsari in Gujarat, Ketan Mehta did his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Delhi and later graduated in film direction from Film and Television Institute of...
, for which he wrote the screenplay, and in the same year, Govind Nihalani
Govind Nihalani
Govind Nihalani is an Indian director, cinematographer, and also a screenwriter and film producer. He has been directing Hindi films since the late seventies, and worked in the television medium.- Biography :...
, directed a film, Party
Party (1984 film)
Party is a 1984 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani. The film boasted an ensemble cast of leading art cinema actors of Parallel Cinema, including Vijaya Mehta, Manohar Singh, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rohini Hattangadi...
, based on his eponymous play.
Elkunchwar's plays have gained national and international critical attention, and his growing body of work has become part of India's post-colonial theatrical canon. He has been honored in India with the Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1976–78), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
, annual award for best playwright (given by the National Academy of the Performing Arts, 1989), Nandika (1989), Maharashta Gaurav (1990), the Maharashtra Foundation Award (1997), the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
(given by the National Academy of Letters, 2002), and the Saraswathi Samman, one of India's highest literary awards (2003), and internationally with the Brittingham Fellowship (2005). The prestigious Janasthan Puraskar was pronounced on him on Jan 17, 2011 for his service to the theater.
Plays by Mahesh Elkunchwar
- Rudravarsha (The Savage Year), 1966
- Sultan (one act), 1967
- Zumbar (one act), 1967
- Eka Mhatarachya Khoon (An Old Man's Murder, one act), 1968
- Kaifiyat (one act), 1967
- Ek Osad Gaon (one act), 1969
- Yatanaghar (The Chamber of Anguish), 1970
- Garbo, 1970
- Vasanakand (The Episode of Lust), 1972
- Party, 1976
- Wada Chirebandi (Old Stone Mansion), 1985
- Pratibimb (Reflection), 1987
- Atmakatha (Autobiography), 1988
- Magna Talyakathi (The Pond), 1991
- Yuganta (The End of an Age)
- Wasanani Jeernani (Tattered Clothes), 1995
- Dharmaputra (Godson), 1998
- Sonata, 2000
- Eka Natachya Mrityu (An Actor Exits), 2005
- Rakta Purush