Rangbhoomi
Gujarati theatre
110 entries on Gujarati theatre: the plays, the companies that staged them and the people who wrote, directed and acted in them.
Traditions
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Gujarati theatre (Rangbhoomi)
The broad tradition of theatre performed in Gujarati
Gujarati theatre traces its formal beginning to Rustam Sohrab, staged by the Parsee Natak Mandali on 29 October 1853 at the Grant Road Theatre in Mumbai.
Source: Wikipedia
Plays
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Aa Manas Madrasi Lage Chhe (1978)
Sitanshu Yashaschandra play directed by Satyadev Dubey
Aa Manas Madrasi Lage Chhe (This Man Looks Madrasi, 1978) was Sitanshu Yashaschandra's play directed by Satyadev Dubey.
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Aag Garhi (Fire Engine)
Landmark play of the amateur theatre movement
C. C. Mehta's Aag Garhi, about an ailing fireman, marked the rise of the amateur theatre movement in Gujarati theatre and was later translated by Mehta himself as Iron Road.
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Agagadi (Iron Road, 1933)
Landmark realistic play of the amateur movement
C. C. Mehta's Agagadi (1933), about an ailing fireman, marked the rise of the amateur theatre movement in Gujarati theatre and was self-translated as Iron Road in 1970.
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Ame Lai Gaya Tame Rahi Gaya
Long-running Sanjay Goradia comedy
Ame Lai Gaya Tame Rahi Gaya, a Gujarati comedy produced by Sanjay Goradia and directed by Vipul Mehta, completed 300 shows.
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Ashwatthama (one-act plays)
Popular Madhu Rye one-act play in college competitions
Ashwatthama (1973) was a Madhu Rye one-act play that became a popular entry in college drama competitions across Gujarat.
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Baa Retire Thai Chhe
Gujarati comedy produced by Sanjay Goradia
Baa Retire Thai Chhe is a Gujarati play produced by Sanjay Goradia, part of his hundred-plus stage production catalogue.
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Bharthari (1878)
Debut production of Arya Subodh Natak Mandali
Bharthari was the first production of the reformist Arya Subodh Natak Mandali formed at Morbi in 1878, and continued to be staged across Gujarat and Saurashtra for many years.
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Chandarvo (1966)
Pravin Joshi adaptation of Merry-Go-Round
Chandarvo (Colourful Canopy, 1966) was Pravin Joshi's Gujarati adaptation of Merry-Go-Round by Albert Maltz and George Sklar.
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Dear Father
Acclaimed contemporary Gujarati play with Paresh Rawal
Dear Father is a recent Gujarati play in which National-award-winning actor Paresh Rawal returned to his roots on the Gujarati stage.
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Dhara Gurjari (1944)
Notable realistic play by C. C. Mehta
Dhara Gurjari (Land of Gujarat, 1944) was among the realistic plays C. C. Mehta wrote and produced that shaped modern Gujarati stagecraft.
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Dhinagli (1923)
Early Gujarati adaptation of Ibsen
Dhinagli was Pranjivan Pathak's 1923 Gujarati translation of Ibsen's A Doll's House, though the realism its production demanded was yet to arrive on the Gujarati stage.
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Ek Undar ane Jadunath (1966)
First absurd play in Gujarati
Ek Undar ane Jadunath, written by Labhshankar Thakar with Subhash Shah after Beckett's Waiting for Godot, is considered the first absurd play in Gujarati.
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Grahan (Eclipse, 1989)
Oedipus-inspired Sitanshu Yashaschandra play
Grahan (Eclipse, 1989), directed by P. S. Chari and inspired by Oedipus, was among Sitanshu Yashaschandra's staged Gujarati plays.
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Gujjubhai Banya Dabangg (2015)
Blockbuster Gujjubhai stage comedy
Gujjubhai Banya Dabangg, a 2015 Siddharth Randeria comedy, completed 505 shows in 18 months on the Gujarati stage.
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Gujjubhai E Gaam Gajaavyu (2002)
First play of the blockbuster Gujjubhai series
Siddharth Randeria's Gujjubhai E Gaam Gajaavyu (2002) launched the Gujjubhai comedy franchise that became one of the most commercially successful brands on the Gujarati stage.
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Hololika (1956)
Bhavai-format satire on the judiciary
C. C. Mehta's Hololika, written in the traditional Bhavai format, is a satire on the corrupt judicial system.
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Jasma Odan (1968)
Landmark Bhavai-style contemporary play
Written and directed by Shanta Gandhi, Jasma Odan is based on a Gujarati legend and became a landmark of contemporary Indian theatre for reviving the Bhavai folk style.
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Khelando (Player)
Gujarati adaptation of Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth
Khelando was Madhu Rye's Gujarati adaptation of Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth, directed by Pravin Joshi and later acted by Arvind Joshi.
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Koi Pan Ek Phool Nu Naam Bolo To (1967)
Landmark meta-theatrical murder-mystery play
Madhu Rye's Koi Pan Ek Phool Nu Naam Bolo To, a play-within-a-play thriller premiered by Darpana in 1969, is regarded as one of the finest works ever written for the Gujarati stage.
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Kumarni Agashi (1975)
Sensation of modern Gujarati theatre
Madhu Rye's Kumarni Agashi (Kumar's Terrace), about repressed sexuality in upper-middle-class society, created a sensation in Gujarati theatre and was directed by Pravin Joshi for the INT.
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Lady Lalkunwar (1999)
Gujarati adaptation of Filumena Marturano
Lady Lalkunvar (1999) was Sitanshu Yashaschandra's Gujarati adaptation of Eduardo De Filippo's Filumena Marturano, also acted on stage by Arvind Joshi.
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Lage Raho Gujjubhai (2007)
Record-setting Gujarati comedy play
Siddharth Randeria's Lage Raho Gujjubhai completed 800 shows in three years worldwide, setting a new record on the Gujarati stage.
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Lalita Dukhdarshak (1866)
Early Gujarati social reform play
Ranchhodbhai Udayram Dave's Lalita Dukhdarshak (1866) dramatised the plight of an educated girl married to an illiterate boy and is remembered as a landmark social-reform play.
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Laxmi Natak (1850)
First play published in Gujarati
Written by Dalpatram in 1850, Laxmi Natak was the first published Gujarati play and was inspired by Aristophanes' ancient Greek comedy Plutus.
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Manju Manju (1965)
Acclaimed INT adaptation directed by Pravin Joshi
Manju Manju (1965), Pravin Joshi's Gujarati adaptation of Jean Kerr's Mary Mary, was among the sophisticated INT productions of his career.
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Mausam Chhalake (1978)
Pravin Joshi adaptation of Same Time, Next Year
Mausam Chhalake (1978) was Pravin Joshi's Gujarati adaptation of Bernard Slade's Same Time, Next Year, among his last stage productions.
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Mena Gurjari
Revived Bhavai folk-style stage production
Dina Pathak produced and played the lead in Mena Gurjari, a Bhavai-style production that ran for many years and became part of the folk-theatre repertoire.
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Mogra-na-Sap (Snake in the Jasmine, 1963)
Acclaimed INT thriller adaptation
In 1963 Pravin Joshi directed and starred in Mogra-na-Sap, an adaptation of Frederick Knott's Dial M for Murder that helped bring sophistication to Gujarati theatre.
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Pappu Pass Thai Gayo
Popular Sanjay Goradia stage comedy
Pappu Pass Thai Gayo is among Sanjay Goradia's well-known Gujarati comedy productions on the commercial stage.
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Pilu Gulab ane Hu (1985)
Two-act play directed by Kanti Madia
Labhshankar Thakar's Pilu Gulab ane Hu, about an actress craving true love, was directed by Kanti Madia and originally improvised for the Darpana Academy.
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Raakhna Ramakada
Kanti Madia's breakthrough one-act play
Raakhna Ramakada was Kanti Madia's first one-act play and an instant hit that launched his celebrated stage career.
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Roostum Zabooli and Sohrab (1853)
First play of the first Parsi theatre company
Roostum Zabooli and Sohrab was the first play staged by the pioneering Parsi Natak Mandali in 1853, followed by King Afrasiab and Padshah Faredun.
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Rustam Sohrab (1853)
First Parsi-Gujarati play, start of Gujarati theatre
Rustam Sohrab, based on the Rostam and Sohrab tale from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, was staged by Parsee Natak Mandali on 29 October 1853 and marks the beginning of Gujarati theatre.
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Santu Rangili (1976)
Hit Gujarati musical adaptation of Pygmalion
Santu Rangili was Madhu Rye's Gujarati musical adaptation of Shaw's Pygmalion / My Fair Lady, directed by and starring Pravin Joshi as a major INT hit.
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Sarjanhar
Gandhian-era play on untouchability
Sarjanhar was an important early play inspired by Gandhian ideology dealing with untouchability, staged by popular actors of the time Sukhlal and Harilal.
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Sharat (A Bet)
Gujarati adaptation of Durrenmatt's The Visit
Sharat was Madhu Rye's Gujarati adaptation of Friedrich Durrenmatt's The Visit, staged by Pravin Joshi for the INT.
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Sura Ane Shatrujeet
Award-winning Madhu Rye play
Sura Ane Shatrujeet is a Madhu Rye play, still performed by amateur groups in Gujarat and Mumbai, for which he received the Bhupen Khakhar Award in 2004.
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Tokhar
Gujarati adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Equus
Tokhar was Sitanshu Yashaschandra's Gujarati adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Equus, produced by Pravin Joshi, Shafi Inamdar and Mahendra Joshi.
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Vaishakhi Koyal (1976)
Sitanshu Yashaschandra play staged by Pravin Joshi
Vaishakhi Koyal, Sitanshu Yashaschandra's Gujarati adaptation of a Thomas Hardy story, was among the plays directed by Pravin Joshi, and later launched actress Ketki Dave.
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Yesu Mashiha Ka Tamasha (16th century)
Earliest recorded proto-Gujarati religious performance
Yesu Mashiha Ka Tamasha, performed by Portuguese missionaries in early 16th-century Gujarat using the Tamasha folk tradition, is cited as an early performance element preceding modern Gujarati theatre.
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Yogesh Patelnu Vevishal
Gujarati stage adaptation of Kimball Ravenswood
Yogesh Patelnu Vevishal was the Gujarati stage adaptation of Madhu Rye's novel Kimball Ravenswood, later filmed as What's Your Rashee.
Source: Wikipedia
Theatre groups
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Aakanth Sabarmati
Playwrights' workshop that reshaped modern Gujarati drama
Madhu Rye founded Aakanth Sabarmati in 1971, a playwrights' workshop preaching minimalism and improvisation against the prevalent absurd theatre, yielding the anthology Aakanth of selected new plays.
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Aakar Theatre (1980)
Vadodara Gujarati theatre group
Aakar Theatre, formed in 1980, was among the Vadodara theatre groups that made the city a hub of Gujarati theatre through the 1980s and 1990s.
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Arya Subodh Natak Mandali
Early reformist Gujarati theatre company (1878)
Formed in 1878 in Morbi by Mulji and Vaghji Oza, Arya Subodh Natak Mandali broke from Parsi and Bhavai traditions and toured its debut Bharthari across Gujarat and Saurashtra for years.
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Bohemians theatre company
Theatre company founded by Kanti Madia
Kanti Madia established the Bohemians theatre company in 1959, one of the vehicles for his celebrated career as actor and director.
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Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Ahmedabad institution that staged landmark modern Gujarati plays
Founded in Ahmedabad in 1949 by Mrinalini and Vikram Sarabhai, Darpana's drama section under Kailash Pandya and Damini Mehta mounted over 100 productions and premiered young writers like Madhu Rye and Labhshankar Thakar.
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Deshi Natak Samaj
Long-running travelling theatre company
Started by Dahyabhai Dholashaji, Deshi Natak Samaj was one of the seven groups that emerged in the 1880s and remained active from 1889 to 1980.
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Ekjute
Theatre group that revived the Parsi theatre style
Nadira Babbar founded the Ekjute theatre group in 1981, whose debut Yahudi Ki Ladki revived the Parsi theatre style and which also long performed Shanta Gandhi's Bhavai musical Jasma Odhan.
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Gandharva Natak Mandali
Notable Baroda theatre company
The Gandharva Natak Mandali was a notable theatre company for which Vadodara, patronised by Sayajirao Gaekwad III, became known as the cultural capital of Gujarat.
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Gujarati Natak Mandali (1878-89)
Pioneer Gujarati theatre company
Gujarati Natak Mandali (1878-89) was a pioneer Gujarati theatre company whose work was continued by its successor, the Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali.
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Indian National Theatre (INT)
Foremost Gujarati theatre institution of the modern era
Founded in Bombay in 1943-44 with Damubhai Jhaveri as first General Secretary, the INT became the foremost troupe of Gujarati theatre, nurturing talents like C. C. Mehta, Pravin and Sarita Joshi.
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Mudra (theatre company)
Gujarati theatre company run by Ketki and Rasik Dave
Ketki Dave and her husband Rasik Dave ran a Gujarati theatre company called Mudra, continuing the family stage legacy of Pravin and Sarita Joshi.
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Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali
Pioneer Gujarati theatre company
Gujarati Natak Mandali (1878-89) and its successor Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali (1889-1948) staged over a hundred plays and trained many of the early stage's leading actors and directors.
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Nat Mandal, Ahmedabad
Common platform for post-independence Gujarati theatre
Formed in Ahmedabad in 1952, Nat Mandal aimed to bring far-flung practitioners of Gujarati theatre onto a common platform during the post-independence revival.
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Natasampada (Natyasampada)
Kanti Madia's theatre company
Natyasampada was the theatre company founded by Kanti Madia, under whose banner he directed many of his more than thirty stage productions.
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Natrani, Ahmedabad
Darpana's experimental theatre amphitheatre
Natrani is an experimental thrust-stage auditorium reminiscent of Greek amphitheatres, built by the Darpana Academy on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.
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Natyasampada
Theatre company founded by Kanti Madia
Kanti Madia established the Natyasampada theatre company, under which he directed more than thirty plays across his career.
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Parsee Natak Mandali
First theatre group of Gujarati theatre
Founded in 1853 by Framjee Gustadjee Dalal, the Parsee Natak Mandali was the first Gujarati theatre group and staged the pioneering play Rustam Sohrab.
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Parsi theatre
Influential theatre tradition that seeded modern Gujarati theatre
Parsi theatre, staged by the Parsi community between 1850 and the 1930s in Urdu and Gujarati, popularised proscenium staging and directly seeded modern Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi theatre.
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Ranbhoomi Parishad (1937)
Early platform uniting Gujarati dramatists
Ranbhoomi Parishad was formed in Ahmedabad in 1937 to bring the major dramatists of the period onto a common platform for the first time.
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Rang Mandal
Post-independence Gujarati theatre group
Rang Mandal was one of the theatre groups that emerged in the 1950s as Gujarati theatre saw fresh growth in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda.
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Rangavali (1974)
Vadodara Gujarati theatre group
Rangavali, formed in 1974, was one of several Vadodara theatre groups that kept Gujarati theatre vibrant in the city's cultural scene.
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Rangbhumi
Notable post-independence commercial Gujarati theatre company
Rangbhumi was among the most notable commercial Gujarati theatre companies formed during the 1950s post-independence revival in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda.
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Vasant - Gujarati Natya Utsav (2011)
NCPA's first Gujarati theatre festival
In 2011 the NCPA, Mumbai launched Vasant - Gujarati Natya Utsav, its first Gujarati theatre festival, to promote experimental Gujarati theatre.
Source: Wikipedia
Playwrights
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Anil Mehta (playwright)
Playwright of several Pravin Joshi INT hits
Anil Mehta wrote Gujarati plays such as Sagpanna Phul, Sapnana Vavetar, Chor Bajar and Saybo Gulabno Chod staged by Pravin Joshi's INT.
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C. C. Mehta
Playwright, father of modern Gujarati theatre
Chandravadan Chimanlal Mehta (1901-1991) wrote over 25 plays including the influential Aag Garhi and is regarded as a father of modern Gujarati theatre.
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Chandravadan Mehta (C. C. Mehta)
Pioneer of modern Gujarati theatre and World Theatre Day mover
Chandravadan Mehta (1901-1991), Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi awardee, wrote over 25 plays, pioneered theatre education at MS University Baroda, and in 1960 moved the resolution that established World Theatre Day.
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Chinu Modi
Modern Gujarati poet and playwright, Darpana writer
Chinu Modi (1939-2017) was a modern Gujarati poet and playwright whose early scripts were staged by Ahmedabad's Darpana Academy.
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Dalpatram
Poet and author of the first published Gujarati play
Dalpatram wrote Laxmi Natak (1850), the first published Gujarati play, and formed a theatre group to reform the vulgar elements of contemporary Bhavai and Parsi theatre.
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Hasmukh Baradi
Playwright and historian of Gujarati theatre
Hasmukh Baradi is a Gujarati playwright whose scripts were staged at Darpana and who authored the National Book Trust's History of Gujarati Theatre.
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K. M. Munshi
Writer of notable Gujarati social satires
K. M. Munshi, the noted Gujarati author and statesman, wrote social satires that were an important part of early modern Gujarati drama.
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Labhshankar Thakar
Absurdist Gujarati playwright and poet
Labhshankar Thakar (1935-2016), a Sahitya Akademi awardee of the Re School, co-wrote the first Gujarati absurd play Ek Undar ane Jadunath and wrote Pilu Gulab ane Hu, directed by Kanti Madia.
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Madhu Rye (Madhusudan Thaker)
Experimental Gujarati playwright and novelist
Madhu Rye (b. 1942), Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak winner, wrote landmark plays like Koi Pan Ek Phool Nu Naam Bolo To and Kumarni Agashi and founded the Aakanth Sabarmati playwrights' workshop.
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Prabodh Joshi
Gujarati playwright of the INT era
Prabodh Joshi wrote the Gujarati play Kadam Milake Chalo, staged by Pravin Joshi at the INT in 1958.
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Pragji Dosa
Award-winning post-independence Gujarati playwright
Pragji Dosa wrote several award-winning Gujarati plays in the 1950s during the post-independence revival of Gujarati theatre.
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Ranchhodbhai Udayram Dave
Father of modern Gujarati theatre and drama
Ranchhodbhai Udayram Dave (1837-1923) was a playwright, producer and translator regarded as the father of modern Gujarati theatre, author of Lalita Dukhdarshak.
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Shanta Gandhi
Theatre director, playwright and folk-drama revivalist
Shanta Gandhi (1917-2002) was an IPTA-associated director and playwright whose Jasma Odan and Razia Sultan pioneered the revival of folk and Sanskrit drama in modern Indian theatre.
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Shivkumar Joshi
Gujarati writer who mentored Madhu Rye
Shivkumar Joshi was a Gujarati writer whose short stories Madhu Rye first translated, and who encouraged Rye to write his own stories and plays.
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Shrikant Shah
Gujarati playwright staged by Darpana
Shrikant Shah was among the young writers whose first scripts were staged by Ahmedabad's Darpana Academy as part of its production efforts.
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Sitanshu Yashaschandra
Poet-playwright of modern Gujarati theatre
Sitanshu Yashaschandra (b. 1941), Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi and Saraswati Samman awardee, wrote and adapted plays such as Tokhar, Aa Manas Madrasi Lage Chhe and Vaishakhi Koyal for the Gujarati stage.
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Subhash Shah
Co-author of the first Gujarati absurd play
Subhash Shah co-wrote Ek Undar ane Jadunath with Labhshankar Thakar, regarded as the first absurd play in Gujarati, and wrote for Darpana.
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Tarak Mehta
Gujarati playwright and humorist
Tarak Mehta wrote Gujarati plays including Saptapadi and Mausam Chhalake staged by Pravin Joshi's INT, and is widely known as a Gujarati humorist.
Source: Wikipedia
Actors
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Arvind Joshi
Actor, playwright and director of Gujarati theatre
Arvind Joshi (1936-2021), brother of Pravin Joshi and father of Sharman Joshi, was a leading face of Gujarati theatre acting in plays like Khelando, Rahuketu and Lady Lalkunwar.
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Bapulal Nayak
Pioneer actor, director and manager of early Gujarati theatre
Bapulal Nayak (1879-1947) was a leading early Gujarati stage actor, director and manager who starred alongside Jaishankar Sundari in landmark plays like Kamlata and Sneh Sarita.
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Dina Pathak
Actress and director of Gujarati theatre and Hindi film
Dina Pathak (1922-2002) was an actress and director central to reviving Gujarati theatre in Mumbai, and a beloved Hindi film character actor known for Gol Maal and Khubsoorat.
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Harilal (stage actor)
Popular early Gujarati stage actor
Harilal was a popular Gujarati stage actor of his time who, with Sukhlal, staged the reformist play Sarjanhar dealing with untouchability.
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Jaishankar Sundari (Jaishankar Bhojak)
Legendary early Gujarati stage actor of female roles
Jaishankar Bhojak 'Sundari' (1889-1975) became famed for playing female roles in early Gujarati theatre and was honoured with the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak and Padma Vibhushan.
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Kanti Madia
Actor, director, playwright and producer of Gujarati theatre
Kanti Madia (b. 1932) was an actor-director-playwright who founded the Natyasampada company, directed over thirty plays and made the acclaimed Gujarati film Kashino Dikro (1979).
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Ketki Dave
Gujarati stage actress, daughter of Pravin and Sarita Joshi
Ketki Dave (b. 1960), daughter of Pravin and Sarita Joshi, began on the Gujarati stage as a replacement in Vaishakhi Koyal and ran the Gujarati theatre company Mudra with husband Rasik Dave.
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Paresh Rawal
National-award actor rooted in Gujarati theatre
Paresh Rawal (b. 1955), Padma Shri and National Film Award winner, built an acclaimed Gujarati stage career (latterly Dear Father) alongside his Hindi film work and now chairs the National School of Drama.
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Pransukh Nayak
Actor and manager of early Gujarati theatre
Pransukh Nayak was an actor and manager of the early Gujarati stage associated with the Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali era.
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Pravin Joshi
Leading commercial Gujarati stage actor-director of the 1960s-70s
Pravin Joshi (1934-1979) was a leading actor-director of commercial Gujarati theatre whose roughly 25 INT productions brought new sophistication to the stage before his death in a car accident.
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Rasik Dave
Gujarati stage actor and co-founder of Mudra
Rasik Dave (1956-2022) was a Gujarati theatre and television actor who, with wife Ketki Dave, ran the Gujarati theatre company Mudra.
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Sanjay Goradia
Prolific Gujarati theatre producer and actor
Sanjay Goradia (b. 1959) has produced more than a hundred Gujarati plays and acted in a quarter of them, starting backstage on Pagla Ghoda in 1979.
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Sarita Joshi
Acclaimed Gujarati and Marathi stage and screen actress
Sarita Joshi is a celebrated actress of Gujarati and Marathi theatre who performed with the Indian National Theatre and later became a well-known film and television actor.
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Siddharth Randeria
Star of the Gujjubhai plays, most live performances on Gujarati stage
Siddharth Randeria (b. 1955) is a Gujarati theatre actor, writer and director famed for the Gujjubhai comedy series, holding a record of over 12,000 live performances.
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Sukhlal (stage actor)
Popular early Gujarati stage actor
Sukhlal was among the popular actors of his era who staged the Gandhian-era Gujarati play Sarjanhar on untouchability.
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Upendra Trivedi
Abhinay Samrat of Gujarati stage and cinema
Upendra Trivedi (1936-2015), Padma Shri awardee dubbed Abhinay Samrat, played seven roles in the Gujarati play Abhinay Samrat and was among the most prolific Gujarati stage and film actors.
Source: Wikipedia
Directors
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Adi Marzban
Parsi-Gujarati theatre director and humorist
Adi Marzban was a noted Parsi-Gujarati director and humorist associated with the Indian National Theatre, directing popular productions such as Balwant ni Baby.
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Damini Mehta
Actor-director of Darpana's drama section
Damini Mehta, who with Kailash Pandya ran the drama section of Ahmedabad's Darpana Academy, was a fellow Gujarati actor who helped revive Gujarati theatre in Mumbai.
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Damu Jhaveri
Co-founder and first General Secretary of the INT
Damubhai Jhaveri was a freedom fighter who co-founded the Indian National Theatre and served as its first General Secretary, steering Gujarati theatre in the modern era.
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Homi Wadia
Surat-origin Parsi film pioneer from the theatre-to-cinema era
Homi Wadia (1911-2004), of the Surat-origin Parsi Wadia family, co-founded Wadia Movietone and Basant Pictures during the era when Parsi theatre producers switched from stage to bioscope and film.
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JBH Wadia
Parsi film-and-theatre pioneer, co-founder of Wadia Movietone
JBH Wadia, elder brother of Homi Wadia and of the Surat-origin Parsi Wadia family, co-founded Wadia Movietone in the era when Parsi stage producers moved into cinema.
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Kailash Pandya
Actor-director who ran Darpana's drama section
Kailash Pandya, who with Damini Mehta ran Darpana Academy's drama section responsible for over 100 productions, was among the actors who helped revive Gujarati theatre in Mumbai.
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Latesh Shah
Director of Sanjay Goradia's first play
Latesh Shah directed Pagla Ghoda, the play on which Sanjay Goradia began his theatre career on backstage in 1979.
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Mrinalini Sarabhai
Darpana founder who directed landmark Gujarati plays
Mrinalini Sarabhai co-founded Ahmedabad's Darpana Academy in 1949 and directed the premiere of Madhu Rye's landmark play Koi Pan Ek Phool Nu Naam Bolo To in 1969.
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Nadira Babbar
Director who revived Parsi theatre style with Ekjute
Nadira Babbar (b. 1948), Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and NSD gold medallist, founded the Ekjute group and revived the Parsi theatre style with Yahudi Ki Ladki, also long performing the Gujarati Bhavai musical Jasma Odhan.
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Vipul Mehta
Director of hit Sanjay Goradia stage comedies
Vipul Mehta directed hit Gujarati stage comedies for Sanjay Goradia including Ame Lai Gaya Tame Rahi Gaya, which completed 300 shows.
Source: Wikipedia