Negotiating Selfhood: Identity and Alienation in Mahesh Dattani's Drama

Mahesh Dattani is one of the most significant Indian playwrights in English whose works deal with the fragmentation of self, limitations of the society and the conflict between tradition and modernity. The characters often exploited through the discursive practices of gender, sexuality, religion, class and caste. The characters often undergo the process of identity crisis and existential dilemma. Quest for the self is represented through the literary works. Through plays such as Tara, Final Solutions, Bravely Fought the Queen, and Dance Like a Man, Dattani probes the construction of identity crisis, and the search for authenticity in conflict with external forces. The search for the self is the complex process where the individuals go through the clash between the traditional norms and the modern aspirations. The approach towards oneself and the society is the attitude that defines one’s identity. In the post-modern period these clashes are often reflected through the fragmented characters. In modern Indian theatre, identity is often contextualized through clashes between traditional norms and individual desires. Mahesh Dattani’s dramatic corpus consistently highlights this tension, making identity — and the crisis resulting from its suppression — a central thematic focus. His characters frequently confront internal contradictions and societal prejudices, navigating spaces where personal selfhood is threatened or marginalized.