The Plays Of Mahesh Dattani A Critical Response

The Present Volume Makes A Pioneerng Attempt At Evaluating The Major Plays Of Dattani.

The book undertakes the study of social realism in the plays of Mahesh Dattani. The social issues which Dattani has taken into consideration have been examined critically. The aspects examined have contemporary relevance and the playwright’s aim is to make audience aware about these issues. The selected plays for this book are: Where There’s a Will (1988), Dance Like a Man (1989), Tara (1990), Bravely Fought the Queen (1991), Final Solutions (1993), Do the Needful (1997), On a Muggy Night in Mumbai (1998), Seven Steps Around the Fire (1999) and Thirty Days in September (2001). The entire book is about depiction of contemporary social reality in the plays of Mahesh Dattani and the way we look at those realities and the need to change our outlook for the better of society. The issues that are discussed through these plays are religious harmony, gender equality, sexual abuse of children and glbt issues. There is focus on the concepts like realism, social realism and socialist realism. The book also describes social realism in Indian English drama. The author has tried to show how social realism has become one of the emerging trends in Indian English drama. The detailed historical account of some playwrights writing in the mode of social realism has been focused upon.

The Present Book Contains A Varied Selection Of Essays Ventured Upon As Exercises In Critical Evaluation Of Texts That Are Relevant In The Existent Literary Context. These Essays Are Certainly Not A Random Pick For Each Of The Works Chosen For Analysis, Whatever Be The Genre Of Writing, Represents The Literature In English Produced By The Native Writers Of A Particular Country. The Two Major Literatures In English Are Indisputably Those Of England And America But There Are Many Other Countries Like Africa, Australia, India And Pakistan Whose Authors Chose To Write In English Because They Felt That English, Despite Being An Alien Language, Would Better Verbalize Their Creative Urge And Lend Itself To An Exploration Of The Immense Possibilities Therein. Most Of The Authors Taken Up For Study In This Book Are Those Who Belong To The Fraternity Of Indian English Writers, Namely Mulk Raj Anand, Shashi Deshpande, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Mahesh Dattani And Manju Kapur. Catering To A Revival Of Interest In The Partition Of India As A Theme In Fiction Are Two Essays Which Deal With The Issue. Other Write-Ups Are On Works (Some In Translation) By Native Writers Of Hitherto Marginalized Countries That Have Now Chosen To Aggressively Assert Themselves Through Their Respective Literatures.The Book, Comprehensive And Rich In Its Contents, Is Highly Informative And Would Prove An Asset To Those Interested In The Diverse Manifestations Of Literature In English. It Would Be Of Particular Appeal To Those Who Wish To Explore The Works Of Indian English Writers Of Repute.

Mahesh Dattani, b. 1958, an Indian English playwright.

Since there is rarity and non-availabilty of book compiling the works of contemporary Indian writers on the theme of homosexuality, the book, Homosexuality in Contemporary Indian Literaure: Issues and Challenges is prepared in such a way as to meet this paucity. Authors are hopeful that the book with its diversity of topics will instill knowledge into the critical minds and explore many unexplored areas of gender and sexuality.

This book chronicles the torturous journey of women from being confined within the limits of the house to being a “major voice” in society. It also highlights scenarios in which women have been discriminated against throughout history. This work will help in reconfiguring the set standards, values, and parameters by which women are judged in society. It foregrounds its studies by examining literary texts, case studies, and popular practices, showing how the era of social media has tacitly brought about the suffragette movement of the 21st century.

The book Indian English Drama: Themes & Techniques is a volume of research articles on contemporary Indian dramatists and their works starting from Rabindranath Tagore to nearly all present generation of dramatists like Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Dattani, Badal Sirkar, Habib Tanvir, Utpal Dutt, Mahasweta Devi, Usha Ganguli, Manjula Padmanabhan, Mahesh Elkunchwar and Manoj Mitra. The book will be helpful in giving critical insight to understand the art and vision of contemporary Indian dramatists both from thematic and technical points of view. The introductory chapter of the book is very resourceful to understand the growth and development of Indian English drama. Authors have presented their critical viewpoints on almost every aspect of dramatic arts, themes and techniques pertaining to Indian playwrights and their works. The book will give many ground breaking concepts and ideas on Indian English drama and is useful for both researchers and learners.