His chiseled vocabulary has earned him the distinction of being a gentleman playwright, who hates inhibitions. In a conversation with suchayan mandal, playwright Mahesh Dattani talks on homosexuality in plays and society, and other allied issues
His plays have been a confluence of cultures. For the minds that refuse to allow contrary thoughts, playwright Mahesh Dattani’s plays are a caveat. He talks about sex, same sex relationship and same sex marriages as normally one describes sunrise. He is the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award (1998), the highest award for a literary work in India for his book Final Solutions And Other Plays. His work has been recreated for the stage by eminent Indian directors such as Arvind Gaur, Alyque Padamsee, Lillete Dubey and many more.
It is of high significance to discuss the question of marital affair between the same genders in a taboo-oriented society. Relationships have always been a subject of major concern in India. In A Muggy Night in Mumbai, Dattani shows how Kamalesh, the hero of the play, convenes a meeting of his friends, who stand for the affair between man and man, and woman and woman. Dattani has always been vocal about issues that people ponder over but avoid explaining. His chiseled vocabulary has earned him the distinction of being a gentleman playwright, who hates inhibitions.
An excerpt from the interview:
From A Muggy Night in Mumbai to The Big Fat City, how is city important in your plays?
I think in A Muggy Night in Mumbai, although the location is a flat, similar to that of The Big Fat City, the events in the flat are of very much significant ~ the outside world that we face here. Whereas in The Big Fat City, it's the world that comes to the flat. There are three different stories and all are coming to the flat and collide with the incident that happens there.
As a dramatist you have focused on various issues. How do you move effortlessly throughout?
(Laughs) I don’t know if it’s effortlessly! I guess, again like I said, you need eyes to see what others can’t. And I think that can be very useful as a writer to see what others can’t. So that others see it through the writer.
What is your reaction to the Supreme Court’s judgment on homosexuality ?
Well, my reaction is, even if the law is repealed, it is not going to change very much for the situation, until society changes it’s attitude towards itself. Basically, I feel, the struggle should continue to repeal that censorship. Any kind of battle, we always win some and lose some, so maybe this is the temporary loss. The battle will continue...
In rural India, homosexuality is prevalent and so is it in urban places. Do you believe that rural people don't know what it is, so they practice it without being bothered about legalities?
They know it but they don’t want to talk about it! Because they are very intelligent people. They think that there are some issues that’s better not to be talked about!
Do you think people with homosexual inclinations aren’t ready to come out of their closets?
Because of the society. You see, society is hard on anyone who is different. It’s not just sexuality but it is anyone who doesn’t fit into the paradigm of marriage and procreation. So if you are single you are stigmatised! If you don’t have children you are stigmatised! You dont have a son, you are stigmatised!
Have you planned anything to write on gay themes to encourage people to come out of the closets?
Maybe. Why not! I don’t know. At this stage I haven’t decided. But at present situation, the subject is not just a sexuality but the story. If I’ve a good story it’s possible.
What are your projects in the pipeline?
As of now, I am working on two plays. I am also planning to direct one play. The plays I’m writing are yet to be titled. And even the theme is under wraps. So I won't be able to shed much light on them!
Dattani’s latest published work is a collection of plays, Me and My Plays (Penguin Books), which includes two of his well known plays, Where did I Leave my Purdah? and The Big Fat City. The book also has a wonderful essay Me and My Plays, where the writer introduces his philosophy and life experience to readers.
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