Playwright and filmmaker Mahesh Dattani reasons with Vidya Prabhu why he recently shifted base from Bangalore to Mumbai

For those in the know,  Mahesh Dattani has always been one of the most critically acclaimed playwrights in the country.

So it’s only interesting that the man, who gave us movies like Morning Raga and numerous stage and radio plays, has now moved to Mumbai from Bangalore.

“It’s been quite some time now, to tell you the truth; Bangalore is no longer the laidback city that it used to be and it’s become more chaotic than Mumbai. I think Mumbai is just going through a phase,” he said matter-of-factly, hinting at the recent Raj Thackeray controversy.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before Mumbai bounces back, the resilient city that it is,” he added.

So what made him turn to Mumbai? “Well, I have been  advised to set up base here long back and I had been considering it for quite some time now. This city has a lot to offer in terms of the opportunities it throws up; especially where entertainment (read films) is concerned. So, after I lost my mother, I thought ‘why not?’” revealed Mahesh, who now stays at Lokhandwala. 

As of now, the filmmaker is in no hurry to get back to work immediately. “Well, I do want to make more films but I’m in no particular hurry. I don’t work as per the assembly line production format where I dole out films just for the heck of it.

Filmmaking is a painstaking process and one needs a lot of emotional and mental stamina,” added Mahesh, who is currently working on a film script and a radio play for BBC.

“It’s a romantic cross cultural comedy and it might just have the potential to be made into a movie at a later stage,” is all he would say about the radio play.  This apart, he’s conducting theatre workshops and readying himself to play jury for the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards that will be announced in March.

“I have a very selfish reason to be a part of the jury; after all, I will be watching 10 of the most interesting plays from across the country. So for me, it will be nothing short of a theatre festival,” noted Mahesh, who feels that theatre has come long a way in India.