Playwright Mahesh Dattani, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1998), has played an important role in shaping contemporary theater in India. Since its debut in the 1988 satirical drama, where there’s a willHe has boldly explored topics such as religious fanaticism, homosexuality, child abuse and gender bias. His works include Dance Like a Man, Tara, on a Muggy Night in Mumbai And Gauhar.
Mahesh has now teamed up with Brooklyn-based director Jonathan Taikina Taylor on this quirky epic sage and warriorIt will be staged at the Experimental Theater in Mumbai from 2 to 5 April. With an international cast, the play “begins with a historically accurate encounter between Alexander the Great and a Buddhist monk, transforming into a love story that traverses culture, place and time, weaving together the strange histories of centuries and civilizations.”
“Although the inspiration comes from history, I still consider this play contemporary because the issue is still relevant. It talks about who we choose as our heroes. Often, the conqueror is seen as a hero, while the one who chooses non-violence is treated as a passive personality,” says Mahesh.
Brooklyn-based director Jonathan Taikina Taylor. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He further said, the idea for the play came from Jonathan. “I knew Jonathan through a friend, Akshay Gandhi, who had studied with him in New York. I had also seen his production of Helen of Troy in New York and invited him to attend a workshop when he was in India. We stayed in touch and one day, he sent me a mail requesting me to write this play.”
Jonathan, artistic director of The SuperGeographics, says he first thought of it sage and warrior During his visit to Nepal and India in 2019. “When I came to Bengaluru, I met people from the gay community. I thought I would work on a play that would show how queerness can be a counterweight to the colonial mindset. Decolonization means going into a community and dictating how people should be. In contrast, queerness is about living within a community and allowing them to be themselves.”
Jonathan remembers reading a story about Alexander, who was said to be a well-known Western homosexual who met a group of monks upon entering India. “His relationship with a particular monk seemed to have a romantic angle. One wanted to conquer the world while the other wanted nothing at all.”
Shabana Azmi in Mahesh Dattani’s film Rage of the morning.
| Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives
Through this play, Jonathan feels that cultures can unite to elevate the voices and stories of those who are rarely heard. Mahesh shares, “For me, a homosexual is a person who creates his own system of living and loving. There is a misconception that gay stories are a western concept, but in India, we have such narratives in Upapuranas, Upakathas and folk tales.”
On his approach to his subjects, Mahesh says, he starts with research. “However, the research is just an inspiration, because as a fiction writer, I draw on my imagination to tell stories. While I try to use documentary and authentic sources, it is also good to draw from them as there is a risk of ending up with a dry, factual story.”
Mahesh has also worked extensively with theater personalities like Alyque Padamsee and Lillete Dubey. “As an advertising professional, Alec believed that one was ultimately working for the audience. He knew how to communicate effectively. I met Lillet later, and she, too, understood what audiences liked and what they didn’t. In the beginning, I was complacent, and reluctant to compromise. But as one grows, one learns that theater works best as a collaboration, and that collaboration with your audience continues.”
a scene from dance like a man, Directed by Lillete Dubey, staged in Coimbatore in 2019 Photo credit: M. Periyasamy
Mahesh, who believes in the importance of feedback, says: “For the first time we staged Gauhar, Lielle and I both realized that according to the script, it was all over the place. So I made some edits, allowing the music to dominate as the character demanded. with dance like a goddesswhich is the sequel dance like a manI used a formal feedback process that I learned from a European theater company called Das. In other plays, I have used informal response methods.
About this sage and warriorMahesh shares his earlier drama On a sultry night in Mumbai It was also about gay love, the two are very different. The former is more of an interpersonal play; Whereas it relies on poetry and stories become metaphors for travel.”
In his plays, dance like a man remains one of his most successful works; It was adapted for the screen by Pamela Rooks and won a National Award. Mahesh, inspired by his gurus, wrote it to depict his experience as an aspiring male Bharatanatyam dancer. In 2004, he wrote and directed the film morning melodyA story of how music connects different worlds. When asked if he also thinks from a cinematic perspective while writing, Mahesh replied: “I believe that a play written with a film in mind is weak. I admit that good films have been made on some of my subjects, but most have not. Theater has its own charm, and it requires a human touch which technology does not provide,” says Mahesh.
published – March 24, 2026 04:47 PM IST