Mahesh
Dattani is an internationally acclaimed theatre person of India. He
is the artistic director and founder of the performing arts group PLAYPEN
which performs world premieres of his own works and of other playwrights.
Two of his plays in collaboration with Alyque Padamsee have been
hailed by critics as"the greatest playwright-director collaboration
on the Indian stage." His plays are published under an anthology titled
'Final Solutions and other plays. His Bravely Fought
the Queenwas produced in India and London with the critics comparing
his works to those of Ayckbourne and Pinter. Another one
of his successful plays published is Tara. Dattani
also teaches a special theatre course during summer at Portland State
University, USA. His beautifully designed theatre studio is devoted to
promoting new theatrical ventures in Bangalore. He has won the Sahitya
Academy Award for best Playwright, in English.
Girish
Karnad Playwright and film-maker
Girish
Karnad was educated at the Karnataka University, Dharwad and Oxford (a Rhodes
scholar) and worked with Oxford University Press. He later resigned
to concentrate on writing and film-making. Some of his famous plays are
Hayavadana (winner of Sangeeth Natak Academy Award
and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay awar>d).Nagamandala
a play was premiered in the US and was staged the world over. Some of his
other plays were The Fire and the Rain and Tughlaq.
He also scripted and played the lead role in his first film >Samskara,
which first banned by censors, went on to win a President's Gold Medal.
His other films have won national awards and have been selected by the international
film festivals. He has acted in Shyam Benegal's and Satyajit Ray's
films and Mrinal Sen's television series. He was director of
TheFilm and Television Institute of India and Chairman of
the Sangeeth Natak Academy. The Karnataka University has conferred
a D. Litt on him. Some of the prestigious awards conferred
on him are the Padma Shri (1974)and Padma Bhushan (1992).
He has also recently won the Jnana Peeth Award.C.R. Simha Actor, Director
Mr.Simha
is a recognised theatre artist, his most famous role being that of the
legendary Tughlaq in Girish Karnad's play by the same
name. Under the banner of the theatre group, Nataranga he has acted
and also directed many of classics like Kakana Kote and
ThaleDanda. He has also taken a keen interest in the adaptations
of Shakespeare's Othello, Beckett's Waiting For Godot
and Brecht's Chalk Circle. His plays Typical
T.P. Kailasam and Rasa Rishi-Kuvempu, portrayal of
writers Kailasam and Kuvempu are legendary. With wife Sharada,
he took his one-man show of Kailasam to 16 American and Canadian
cities. He is also affiliated to the Bangalore Little Theatre Group
and is actively involved in the activities of the English theatre. He has
acted in around 60 Kannada films and directed 5, of which Kakana Kote
has won a state award. Some of the other awards bestowed on him
include Karnataka State Natak Academy award and the Shankare Gowda
Theatre award. In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious annual Kailasam
award instituted by Gorur Pratishtana. This award has been given
in recognition of his contribution to theatre and films. Besides his interest
in plays, he is also an admirer of art and architecture. His exquisitely
designed house, by architect Mr. Jaisim, won the all India award
for design, housing the world's largest statue of Charlie Chaplin, sculpted
in granite by John Devaraj.
Girish
Karnad was educated at the Karnataka University, Dharwad and Oxford (a Rhodes
scholar) and worked with Oxford University Press. He later resigned
to concentrate on writing and film-making. Some of his famous plays are
Hayavadana (winner of Sangeeth Natak Academy Award
and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay awar>d).Nagamandala
a play was premiered in the US and was staged the world over. Some of his
other plays were The Fire and the Rain and Tughlaq.
He also scripted and played the lead role in his first film >Samskara,
which first banned by censors, went on to win a President's Gold Medal.
His other films have won national awards and have been selected by the international
film festivals. He has acted in Shyam Benegal's and Satyajit Ray's
films and Mrinal Sen's television series. He was director of
The Film and Television Institute of India and Chairman of
the Sangeeth Natak Academy. The Karnataka University has conferred
a D. Litt on him. Some of the prestigious awards conferred
on him are the Padma Shri (1974)and Padma Bhushan (1992).
He has also recently won the Jnana Peeth Award. 
Mr.Simha
is a recognised theatre artist, his most famous role being that of the
legendary Tughlaq in Girish Karnad's play by the same
name. Under the banner of the theatre group, Nataranga he has acted
and also directed many of classics like Kakana Kote and
ThaleDanda. He has also taken a keen interest in the adaptations
of Shakespeare's Othello, Beckett's Waiting For Godot
and Brecht's Chalk Circle. His plays Typical
T.P. Kailasam and Rasa Rishi-Kuvempu, portrayal of
writers Kailasam and Kuvempu are legendary. With wife Sharada,
he took his one-man show of Kailasam to 16 American and Canadian
cities. He is also affiliated to the Bangalore Little Theatre Group
and is actively involved in the activities of the English theatre. He has
acted in around 60 Kannada films and directed 5, of which Kakana Kote
has won a state award. Some of the other awards bestowed on him
include Karnataka State Natak Academy award and the Shankare Gowda
Theatre award. In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious annual Kailasam
award instituted by Gorur Pratishtana. This award has been given
in recognition of his contribution to theatre and films. Besides his interest
in plays, he is also an admirer of art and architecture. His exquisitely
designed house, by architect Mr. Jaisim, won the all India award
for design, housing the world's largest statue of Charlie Chaplin, sculpted
in granite by John Devaraj. 
5:48:38 AM 
Mahesh
Dattani is an internationally acclaimed theatre person of India. He
is the artistic director and founder of the performing arts group PLAYPEN
which performs world premieres of his own works and of other playwrights.
Two of his plays in collaboration with Alyque Padamsee have been
hailed by critics as"the greatest playwright-director collaboration
on the Indian stage." His plays are published under an anthology titled
'Final Solutions and other plays. His Bravely Fought
the Queen was produced in India and London with the critics comparing
his works to those of Ayckbourne and Pinter. Another one
of his successful plays published is Tara. Dattani
also teaches a special theatre course during summer at Portland State
University, USA. His beautifully designed theatre studio is devoted to
promoting new theatrical ventures in Bangalore. He has won the Sahitya
Academy Award for best Playwright, in English. 
