Mahesh Dattani: An Introduction

Contemporary Indian Writers in English (CIWE) is a series that presents critical commentaries on some of the best-known names in the genre. With the high visibilty of Indian writing in English in academic, critical, pedagogic and reader circles, there is a perceivable demand for lucid yet rigorous introduction of several of its authors and genres. Mahesh Dattani is perhaps one of India`s most daring, innovative and important paywrights in English today. He blends conventional themes with some startingly new ones in his work. His plays combine the intimate with the social, the personal and the public, often exploring the boundaries between these realms. In this volume, Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri, explores Dattani`s central themes - the family, alternate sexualities, other genders, morality and identity - while also examining the dramaturgical innovations in his work.