Famous Indian Playwrights

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Rabindranath Tagore
15
Birthdate: May 7, 1861
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Died: August 7, 1941

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian polymath who contributed greatly to the fields of literature, art, and philosophy. Referred to as the Bard of Bengal, Tagore is credited with reshaping Bengali literature and music. The first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, Tagore is also credited with composing the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.

 2 
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
(Independence Activist, Reformer)
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
11
Birthdate: May 28, 1883
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bhagur
Died: February 26, 1966

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was an Indian politician and independence activist. He formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva and was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He was known for his strong oratory skills and was an eloquent writer. He was initially charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was later acquitted.

 3 
Tanikella Bharani
(Indian Actor, Screenwriter, and Director Who has Worked in More than 750 Films)
Tanikella Bharani
8
Birthdate: July 14, 1954
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Telangana, Hyderabad, India
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
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 4 
Girish Karnad
(Linguist, Author, Film director, Actor, Translator, Screenwriter)
Girish Karnad
8
Birthdate: May 19, 1938
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Matheran, Maharashtra, India

Actor, film director and playwright, Girish Karnad was also a Rhodes Scholar with a Masters degree in philosophy, political science and economics. A prolific writer, he authored scores of plays in Kannada, which were later translated into other languages. Also an eminent actor, film director and screenwriter, he was conferred with numerous awards including the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

 5 
Piyush Mishra
(Screenwriter, Music director, Actor, Singer, Lyricist, Songwriter)
Piyush Mishra
7
Birthdate: January 13, 1963
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: India
 6 
Kālidāsa
(Indian Classical Sanskrit Author and Playwright)
Kālidāsa
5
Birthplace: India

Ancient Indian poet and playwright Kālidāsa is considered one of the greatest Sanskrit literary figures to have ever lived. His epic Kumarasambhava, his drama Abhijnanashakuntala, and his lyric poem Meghadūta are considered classics. Most of his works are drawn from Hindu epics and scriptures, such as the Vedas.

 7 
Jaishankar Prasad
(Poet)
Jaishankar Prasad
5
Birthdate: January 30, 1889
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Varanasi
Died: January 14, 1937

Jaishankar Prasad was an Indian poet and an important figure in modern Hindi theatre and Hindi literature. Along with Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant, and Suryakant Tripathi, Prasad is counted among the Four Pillars of Romanticism in Hindi literature.

 8 
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
(Indian Poet Most Known for His Romantic Poetry)
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
5
Birthdate: October 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bara Pind, Pakistan
Died: May 6, 1973

Shiv Kumar Batalvi was an Indian writer, poet, and playwright who predominantly wrote in the Punjabi language. In 1967, he became the youngest person to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award for his epic verse play Loona, which is regarded as a masterpiece in Punjabi literature. The Shiv Kumar Batalvi Auditorium, which is located in Batala, was constructed in his honor.

 9 
Anand Gandhi
(Indian Film Director, Producer and Screenwriter)
Anand Gandhi
6
Birthdate: September 26, 1980
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
 10 
Nissim Ezekiel
(poet)
Nissim Ezekiel
5
Birthdate: December 14, 1924
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Died: January 9, 2004
 11 
Crazy Mohan
(screenwriter)
Crazy Mohan
6
Birthdate: October 16, 1952
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tamil Nadu
 12 
Vijay Tendulkar
(Indian Playwright, Essayist, Screenwriter and Journalist)
Vijay Tendulkar
5
Birthdate: January 6, 1928
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kohalpur, India
Died: May 19, 2008

Apart from his 28 full-length plays, renowned dramatist Vijay Tendulkar had also penned many short stories and a novel. Apart from winning the Padma Bhushan and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, he also won a National Award for penning the screenplay of the Shyām Benegal film Manthan.

 13 
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
(Bengali Poet and Playwright)
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
5
Birthdate: January 25, 1824
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jessore District, Bangladesh
Died: June 29, 1873

Michael Madhusudan Dutt was an Indian poet, dramatist, and writer who predominantly wrote in the Bengali language. A pioneer of Bengali drama, Dutt is widely considered the most skilled poet in the history of Bengali literature. His life and career inspired the 1950 drama film Michael Madhusudhan, in which Dutt was played by Indian actor Utpal Dutt.

 14 
Jeyamohan
(Indian Writer Who Has Written the Novel Venmurasu, a Modern Renarration of the Epic Mahabharata)
Jeyamohan
5
Birthdate: April 22, 1962
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India
 15 
Sukumar Ray
(Photographer, Poet, Writer, Illustrator, Playwright, Children's writer)
Sukumar Ray
5
Birthdate: October 30, 1887
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kolkata
Died: September 10, 1923

Sukumar Ray was a 19th-century Bengali writer and poet born in British India. He is most remembered for his writings for children. He was born into a prominent family as the son of a famous writer, painter, and instrumentalist. Sukumar Ray worked during the pinnacle of the Bengal Renaissance and was close friends with Rabindranath Tagore. 

 

 16 
Abhijat Joshi
(writer, screenwriter)
Abhijat Joshi
5
Birthdate: January 12, 1969
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ahmedabad
 17 
Bharatendu Harishchandra
(Indian Poet, Writer and Playwright)
Bharatendu Harishchandra
5
Birthdate: September 9, 1850
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Varanasi, India
Died: January 6, 1885

Bharatendu Harishchandra was a 19th-century Hindi writer and poet who is regarded as the father of Hindi literature as well as Hindi theater. He authored numerous dramas, travel accounts, and life sketches. He mainly wrote about the issues faced by Indians, such as poverty, exploitation, and class struggles. A nationalist, he urged Indians to prioritize Indian-made products. 

 18 
Aśvaghoṣa
(First Sanskrit Dramatist, and the Greatest Indian Poet Prior to Kālidāsa)
Aśvaghoṣa
4
Birthdate: 0080 AD
Birthplace: Ayodhya, India
Died: 0150 AD

Aśvaghoṣa was an Indian Buddhist philosopher, poet, dramatist, and orator. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian poets of all time, Aśvaghoṣa was the most popular and important poet among a group of Buddhist court writers. He is credited with writing two of the most important Sanskrit-language poems held dear by the Buddhist community—Buddhacharita and Saundarananda.

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Bhisham Sahni
(actor, writer, children's writer)
Bhisham Sahni
4
Birthdate: August 8, 1915
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Rawalpindi
Died: July 11, 2003
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Bhāsa
(Indian Poet and Playwright)
Bhāsa
3
Birthdate: 0200 AD
Birthplace: India
Died: 0300 AD
Bhāsa was an Indian playwright whose works in the Sanskrit language predates Kalidasa. Regarded as one of the most celebrated Sanskrit-language playwrights of all time, Bhāsa based most of his plays on the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. His manuscripts, which had been lost for many years, were rediscovered in the 20th century.
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Vinodhini
(Indian Actress)
Vinodhini
2
Birthplace: India
Gollapudi Maruti Rao
4
Birthdate: April 14, 1939
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Vizianagaram, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died: December 12, 2019

Gollapudi Maruti Rao is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of Telugu literature and cinema. Initially a journalist with Andhra Prabha, he later also acted in plays and worked for All India Radio. He has won multiple Nandi Awards, both as an actor and as a screenwriter.

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C. Narayana Reddy
(Author, Politician, Poet, Lyricist, Songwriter)
C. Narayana Reddy
4
Birthdate: July 29, 1931
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Karimnagar district

C. Narayana Reddy was an Indian writer and poet who predominantly wrote in the Telugu language. A prolific writer, Reddy produced more than 80 literary works including ghazals, lyrical plays, prose-plays, poems, and translations. In 1973, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his work Mantalu Manavudu. In 1988, he was honored with the prestigious Jnanpith Award for Viswambhara.    

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Habib Tanvir
(One of the Most Influential Indian Hindi Playwrights, Theatre Director and Actor)
Habib Tanvir
3
Birthdate: September 1, 1923
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Raipur, India
Died: June 8, 2009

Habib Tanvir was an Indian playwright, poet, theatre director, and actor. A pioneer in Hindi and Urdu theatre, Tanvir is best remembered for his iconic plays like Charandas Chor and Agra Bazar. During his illustrious career, which spanned more than six decades, Habib Tanvir received several prestigious awards like Padma Bhushan, Kalidas Samman, Jawarharlal Nehru Fellowship, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.

 25 
Javed Siddiqui
(Screenwriter, Playwright, Journalist)
Javed Siddiqui
4
Birthdate: January 13, 1942
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: India

One of the best-known screenwriters of Indian cinema, Javed Siddiqui had worked with the stalwarts of the Indian film industry, such as Satyajit Ray and Yash Chopra. The two-time Filmfare winner had penned dialogues for blockbusters such as Umrao Jaan and Baazigar. A part of IPTA, he had penned plays, too.

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Juhi Chaturvedi
(Screenwriter)
Juhi Chaturvedi
1
Birthdate: 1975 AD
Birthplace: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Joy Mathew
(Indian Actor, Director, Playwright and Screenwriter)
Joy Mathew
3
Birthdate: September 20, 1961
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Challissery, Calicut, India
 28 
Bishnu Prasad Rabha
(Politician, Writer)
Bishnu Prasad Rabha
4
Birthdate: January 31, 1909
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Died: June 20, 1969

Remembered as a cultural icon of Assam, Bishnu Prasad Rabha is popularly known as the Assamese Leonardo da Vinci and Kalaguru. A musician known for composing Rabha Sangeet, he also penned poems and was a skilled dancer. He was later associated with the Revolutionary Communist Party of India.

 29 
Jaideep Sahni
(Screenwriter, Musician)
Jaideep Sahni
1
Birthdate: 1968 AD
Birthplace: New Delhi
 30 
Rajinder Singh Bedi
(Playwright, Film director, Screenwriter)
Rajinder Singh Bedi
3
Birthdate: September 1, 1915
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sialkot
Died: November 11, 1984
 31 
Bhavabhuti
(Indian Playwright and Poet)
Bhavabhuti
2
Birthplace: India

Eighth-century scholar Bhavabhuti spent most of his career as the court poet of Yashovarman, the king of Kannauj. Best known for his plays Mahāvīracharita, Malatimadhava, and Uttararamacharita, Bhavabhuti displayed fine characterization and suspenseful climaxes in his works. He was often compared to Kalidasa, another classical Sanskrit author.

 32 
Aarudhra
(Indian Author, Poet, Lyricist, Translator and an Expert on Telugu Literature)
Aarudhra
3
Birthdate: August 31, 1925
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Died: June 4, 1998

Bhagavatula Sadasiva Sankara Sastry, or Aarudhra, was the nephew of Telugu poet Sri Sri. His contribution spanned both Telugu literature and cinema. Apart from writing poems such as Konnalamma Padaalu, he had also been a lyricist, dialogue writer, and screenplay writer in films such as The Train and Beedala Patlu.

 33 
Makhanlal Chaturvedi
(Writer)
Makhanlal Chaturvedi
1
Birthdate: April 4, 1889
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Babai, Madhya Pradesh, India
Died: January 30, 1968

One of the most significant leaders of the Neo-romantic movement of Hindi literature, known as Chhayavaad, Makhanlal Chaturvedi created history by becoming the first Sahitya Akademi winner in Hindi literature. The Padma Bhushan winner is best known for his work Him Taringini. He also edited nationalist journals as Karmaveer.

 34 
Dharamvir Bharati
(Poet, Playwright & Chief Editor of the Popular Hindi Weekly Magazine 'Dharmayug')
Dharamvir Bharati
3
Birthdate: December 25, 1926
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: September 4, 1997

Padma Shree- and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-winning Hindi poet and playwright Dharamvir Bharati had penned iconic novels such as Suraj ka Satwan Ghoda and Gunaho Ka Devta. A PhD in Hindi from Allahabad University, he had also been a lecturer and the chief editor of Dharmayug.

 35 
Vishakhadatta
(Poet)
Vishakhadatta
0
Birthplace: India
Died: 0750 AD
 36 
Qurratulain Hyder
(Indian Urdu Novelist and Short Story Writer Best Known for Her Magnum Opus, 'Aag Ka Darya')
Qurratulain Hyder
4
Birthdate: January 20, 1927
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Aligarh, India
Died: August 21, 2007

Known for her iconic works such as Aag Ka Darya, Qurratulain Hyder revolutionized Urdu literature. Born to writer parents in British India, she later moved to Pakistan and then to England, where she was employed with BBC. She later moved back to India and won numerous awards such as the Jnanpith Award.

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Gurajada Apparao
(Indian Playwright, Dramatist, Poet, and Writer Known for His Works in Telugu Theatre)
Gurajada Apparao
2
Birthdate: September 21, 1862
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Andhra Pradesh, India
Died: November 30, 1915

Gurazada Apparao was a noted Indian playwright, poet, dramatist, and writer. He is remembered for the significant contribution he made to Telugu theater. His play Kanyasulkam (1892) is widely considered the greatest play in the Telugu language. Born in British India, he was a nationalist who composed the Telugu patriotic song "Desamunu Preminchumanna.”  

 38 
Vishnu Prabhakar
(Writer, Novelist)
Vishnu Prabhakar
0
Birthdate: June 21, 1912
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Miranpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: April 11, 2009

Hindi author Vishnu Prabhakar created history when he became the first from his state Haryana to win a Sahitya Akademi award, a coveted literary award in India. Primarily known for his novels and stories, he had also penned poems. Awara Masiha and Ardhanarishwar remain two of his best-known works.

 39 
Santha Rama Rau
(Writer)
Santha Rama Rau
3
Birthdate: January 24, 1923
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chennai, India
Died: April 21, 2009
 40 
Ratnakar Matkari
(Writer)
Ratnakar Matkari
3
Birthdate: November 17, 1938
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Mumbai
Died: May 17, 2020
 41 
Ajit Das
(Actor)
Ajit Das
0
Birthdate: January 20, 1949
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Karanjia, Odisha, British Raj India
Died: September 13, 2020
 42 
Awaz Sayeed
(Short-story writer, Poet, playwright)
Awaz Sayeed
0
Birthdate: March 3, 1934
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Died: July 2, 1995
 43 
Asit Bandopadhyay
(Actor)
Asit Bandopadhyay
0
Birthplace: India
Died: September 17, 2020