# Manoj Shah

Manoj Sakarchand Shah (born 5 February 1955) is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the Gujarati theatre. He has directed over 90 plays, such as one-man plays and biographical plays, in different genres. He is known primarily for his quirky biographical plays which include: Hu Chandrakant Bakshi based on the writer of the same name, Mohan No Masalo based on Mahatma Gandhi, Apurva Avsar based on Jain mystic Shrimad Rajchandra, Mareez based on poet Mareez, Jal Jal Mare Patang based on writer-philosopher Manilal Dwivedi, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi based on German philosopher Karl Marx, and Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share based on Anandi Gopal Joshi, India's first female doctor. He produces plays under his theatre company Ideas Unlimited.
His play Mohan No Masalo was included in the Limca Book of Records for its performances in three languages (English, Hindi and Gujarati) in a single day. His biographical drama Mareez has been playing at Prithvi Theatre since 2004.

## Biography

Manoj Sakarchand Shah was born on 5 February 1955 in Mumbai, India. He studied until the ninth grade at various schools in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. He began his career as a dance teacher and then as an actor. He decided to become a theatre director when he watched a play directed by Mahendra Joshi. He was inspired by the works of other theatre directors including Badal Sircar, Utpal Dutt and Vijaya Mehta. He debuted as a theatre director with his play Master Phoolmani in 1999.

## Works

Shah has directed and produced over 90 plays. He produces them under his production company Ideas Unlimited.
His style has been considered innovative, and his subjects contributed to bringing a cultural renaissance in Gujarati theatre. His plays dwell on literary and spiritual themes, often featuring solo actors. His protagonists tend to be either people with quirky characters or heroes in unusual circumstances. For example, in one of his plays, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi (2012), he imagines a visit by Karl Marx to Kalbadevi, a chaotic locality in Mumbai. His one man plays have the actor soliloquising before the audience. Stagecraft is at a minimum, with the key technique one that consists of an actor interpreting his character role. His texts in this genre, theatre critic Vikram Phukan writes, are notable for their clarity.
His first play was Master Phoolmani, which was adapted from Satish Alekar's Begum Barve (1979). Scripted by Chandrakant Shah, it was first staged in 1999 at Horniman Circle Gardens, Mumbai, during the Prithvi Theatre Festival. The play is a tribute to the extinct Gujarati theatre form known as 'Bhangwadi', which was popular for its musical folk performance style. The play revolves around Manilal, who refers to himself by his stage name Phoolmani. Manilal is a 'Bhangwadi' performer who loses his bearings as the tradition fades into obscurity. But he is jolted back to reality by his despotic employer, Vallabhbhai Bhatia, for whom he sells incense and flowers. Master Phoolmani deftly knits together worlds that unfold against backdrops painted by the artist Bhupen Khakhar. Master Phoolmani also integrates some elements from the life of Jaishankar Bhojak, a 20th-century Gujarati theatre actor known for impersonating female characters. Master Phoolmani was Shah's longest running production until 2015.
In 2003, he produced Gujarat Ni Asmita, a musical drama which features 45 actors. It traces the journey of Gujarati poetry from the medieval era to the present. In 2004, his biographical play Mareez was produced. The play has been performed more than 200 times since 2012 and has played at the Prithvi Theatre since 2004. Based on the life and works of the mid-twentieth century Gujarati poet Mareez, Vinit Shukla adapted it from Mareez's biography Mareez: Astitva Ane Vyaktitva written by Raeesh Maniar. Mareez's representation has been influenced by Vincent van Gogh's autobiographical work Dear Theo and Charles Bukowski's biopic Barfly.
Apurva Avsar (2007), written by Raju Dave and Shah, is a biographical play about Shrimad Rajchandra, known as a spiritual guide of Mahatma Gandhi. It focuses on Rajchandra's life from his childhood in a small remote village in Gujarat to his eventual renunciation of all worldly pleasures. Siddh Hem (2008) is based on Hemachandra, the Indian Jain scholar. Dharmendra Gohil played the lead character.
In 2009, he directed the biographical play Jal Jal Mare Patang based on the life of the 19th-century Gujarati philosopher and writer Manilal Dwivedi. Mummy Tu Aavi Kevi (2010) is a children's play written by Dhiruben Patel. He directed Apoorav Khela (2012), a biographical play on 17th century Jain monk Anandghan.
Mahatma Gandhi is the subject of Mohan No Masalo, a monodrama. It starred Pratik Gandhi as Mohandas Gandhi. The play recounts the early days of Mohandas Gandhi in India and South Africa before he came to be known as Mahatma. The play portrays Gandhi as a layman with extraordinary means to achieve his ends. It was staged in three languages: Gujarati (Mohan No Masalo), Hindi (Mohan Ka Masala) and English (Mohan's Masala). It premiered on 22 March 2015 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Atul Dodiya created the play's set and backdrop, which featured images of a young Gandhi in black and white. The Gujarati script was written by Satya Mehta, the Hindi by Mihir Bhuta and Arpit Jain, and the English by Ishan Doshi. It recounts Gandhi's childhood and shows how it shaped his future. It was included in the Limca Book of Records for "Performance of One Play in Multiple Languages in One Day".
In 2013, he produced another biographical drama, Hu Chandrakant Bakshi. Written by Shishir Ramavat, the play focuses on Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi (1932–2006). In this production, Pratik Gandhi played the lead character. The play, along with Mohan No Masalo, helped to solidify Gandhi's reputation as an actor. That year he directed Karl Marx in Kalbadevi. The play puts German philosopher Karl Marx in a hypothetical situation, asking what would happen if he arrived in Kalbadevi, a happening locality in Mumbai, in the present-day. In the production, Satchit Puranik played Marx.
Popcorn with Parsai (2014) is a biographical solo-act based on Hindi writer Harishankar Parsai. Co-written by Shah and Nilay Upadhyay, it premiered at NCPA on 6 December 2014.
Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share, a solo performance, premiered in 2017 at NCPA, is a biographical play which features a woman playing the lead for the first time in Shah's one-man plays. Written by Geeta Manek, the play is based on the life of Anandibai Joshi, India's first female doctor. Manasi Prabhakar Joshi played Anandibai Joshi's role. It asks and answers several questions regarding women's freedom. It was later staged in Hindi and Marathi, and became part of Theatre Olympics.

## Plays

List of plays directed by Shah:
| S.N. | Play | Year | Writer | Notes |
| 1 | Master Phoolmani | 1999 | Chandrakant Shah | Adapted from Satish Alekar's Begum Barve |
| 2 | Akho Akha Bolo | 2000 | Kanti Patel | Biographical play about medieval Gujarati poet Akho |
| 3 | Savita | 2000 | Bhupen Khakhar | Monologue |
| 4 | System | 2000 | Uttam Gada | Monologue |
| 5 | Maganlal No Gundar | 2000 | Bhupen Khakhar | |
| 6 | Foreign Soap | 2000 | Bhupen Khakhar | |
| 7 | Briel | 2000 | C. C. Mehta | Monologue |
| 8 | Medea | 2000 | C. C. Mehta | Monologue |
| 9 | Mukund Rai | 2000 | Raju Dave | Adaptation of Ramnarayan V. Pathak's eponymous short story |
| 10 | Jakshni | 2000 | Raju Dave | Adaptation of Ramnarayan V. Pathak's eponymous short story |
| 11 | Idli Orchid Ne Hu | 2001 | Vitthal Kamat | |
| 12 | Parpota Na Desh Ma | 2001 | Raju Dave, Ankit Trivedi | Dramatisation of Panna Naik's poem |
| 13 | Varta Kaho Ne – Thigadu | 2001 | Bharat Naik | Adaptation of Suresh Joshi's eponymous short story |
| 14 | Parshchad Bhumika | 2001 | Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' | Dramatised reading for National Book Trust |
| 15 | Trasyo Sangam | 2001 | Raju Dave | Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel |
| 16 | Jagga Dakku | 2001 | Raju Dave | Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel |
| 17 | Bhedbharam | 2001 | Shishir Ramawat | Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel |
| 18 | Sansari Sadhu | 2002 | Shrikant Gautam | Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel |
| 19 | Jad Chetan | 2002 | Shishir Ramawat | Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel |
| 20 | Orange Juice | 2002 | Uttam Gada | Hindi language play |
| 21 | Mano Mel Te Maitri | 2002 | Raju Dave | Adaptation of Aleksei Arbuzov' play |
| 22 | Giras Ma Ek Dungri | 2002 | Meria Shresh Mitsakaben | |
| 23 | Raman Bhaman | 2003 | Ashwini Bhatt | |
| 24 | Gujarat Ni Asmita | 2003 | Narsinh Mehta, Meera, Akho, Premanand Bhatt, Dayaram, Dalpatram, Alexander Kinloch Forbes, Narmad, Jhaverchand Meghani, Jivram Joshi | |
| 25 | Te He Na Devaso | 2003 | Raju Dave | Adaptation of the story by Harivallabh Bhayani |
| 26 | Swajan Utsav | 2003 | Dhiruben Patel, Natwar Gandhi, Mahesh Dave, Pravin Joshi, Nalini Mandgaonkar, Mukul Choksi, Raeesh Maniar, Udayan Thakker, Mukesh Joshi, Ankit Trivedi, Hiten Anandpara, and Suresh Dalal | Dramatised presentation of poems |
| 27 | Agantuk | 2003 | Vipul Bhargav | Adaptated from Dhiruben Patel's eponymous story |
| 28 | Vanechand No Varghodo | 2003 | Prakash Kapadia | Based on Shahabuddin Rathod's work |
| 29 | Monji Ruder | 2003 | Vinit Shukla | Based on Swami Anand's work |
| 30 | Runanubandh | 2003 | Raju Dave | Based on a short story by Pravinsinh Chavda |
| 31 | Tribute To Bhupen Khakhar | 2004 | Bhupen Khakhar | |
| 32 | Mareez | 2004 | Vinit Shukla | Based on the life and work of mid-twentieth century Gujarati poet Mareez |
| 33 | Kshemraj Ne Sadhvi | 2004 | Govardhanram Tripathi | |
| 34 | Chalte Chalte | 2004 | Chandrakant Shah | |
| 35 | Guajarat No Nath | 2004 | Suren Thaker 'Mehul' | Based on K. M. Munshi's eponymous novel |
| 36 | Meera | 2004 | Mihir Bhuta | Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry |
| 37 | Blue Jeans | 2004 | | A dramatised poem by Chandrakant Shah |
| 38 | Bharelo Agani | 2004 | Manoj Shah | Based on R. V. Desai's eponymous novel |
| 39 | Mestro Masters Swami | 2005 | Multiple writers | |
| 40 | Boom Rang | 2005 | Raju Dave | Based on a story by Nilesh Rana |
| 41 | Nami Gaya Te Gami Gaya | 2005 | Pankaj Trivedi | |
| 42 | Gamta No Kariea Gulal | 2005 | Dinkar Joshi, Raju Dave, Satya Mehta | Based on works by Ramanbhai Neelkanth, Govardhanram Tripathi, Ranjitram Mehta, Jhaverchand Meghani, Narmad, Umashankar Joshi, Harivallabh Bhayani, |
| 43 | Janoi Vadh Ghha | 2005 | Raju Dave, Satya Mehta | Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry |
| 44 | Varsad Bhinjve | 2006 | Raju Dave, Satya Mehta, Ankit Trivedi | Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry |
| 45 | Lata Shu Bole | 2006 | Gulabdas Broker | Dramatised reading of Gulabdas Broker's eponymous short story |
| 46 | Rajputani | 2006 | Prakash Kapadia | Based on Dhumketu's eponymous short story |
| 47 | Jher to Pidha Jaani Jaani | 2006 | Upendra Trivedi | Based on Manubhai Pancholi's novel |
| 48 | Socrates | 2006 | Kanti Patel | Based on Manubhai Pancholi's novel |
| 49 | Ame Baraf Na Pankhi | 2006 | Kanti Madia | Based on a work by Marathi writer Vasant Kanetkar |
| 50 | Lajo | 2007 | Paresh Vyas | Based on work by Ismat Chughtai |
| 51 | Apurva Avsar | 2007 | Raju Dave, Manoj Shah | Biographical play about late 19th-century Jain mystic and philosopher Shrimad Rajchandra |
| 52 | Little Bit Gamvanu | 2007 | Chandrakant Shah | |
| 53 | Jite Hain Shaan Se | 2008 | Shishir Ramawat | |
| 54 | Achlayatan | 2008 | J. B. Kripalani, Mahadev Desai, Swami Anand | Adapted from a work by Rabindranath Tagore |
| 55 | Atma Gynani | 2008 | Raju Dave | Biographical play about Dada Bhagwan |
| 56 | Siddha Hem | 2008 | Jonhy Shah | |
| 57 | Jal Jal Mare Patang | 2009 | Mihir Bhuta | Biographical play about 19th-century Gujarati writer Manilal Dwivedi |
| 58 | Amarfal | 2010 | Bharat Naik | Based on the legend of king Bharthari |
| 59 | Hello Gujarati | 2010 | Raju Dave, Satya Mehta | |
| 60 | Mahajan Darshan | 2010 | Raghuveer Chaudhari, Jayesh Mehta | |
| 61 | Firewall | 2010 | Uttam Gada | |
| 62 | Red Sea | 2010 | Uttam Gada | |
| 63 | Mummy Tu Aavi Kevi | 2010 | Dhiruben Patel | |
| 64 | Kasper | 2011 | Chandrakant Shah | Monologue |
| 65 | New York New York | 2011 | Chandrakant Shah | Monologue |
| 66 | Apoorav Khela | 2012 | Dhanvant Shah | Biographical play about Anandghan |
| 67 | Karl Marx in Kalbadevi | 2013 | Uttam Gada | |
| 68 | Hu Chandrakant Bakshi | 2013 | Shishir Ramavat | Monologue ; Biographical play about Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi |
| 69 | Bhamashah | 2013 | Bipin Doshi, Mihir Bhuta | Hindi language play about Bhamashah and Maharana Pratap |
| 70 | Master Madam | 2013 | Will Johnson, Vijay Pandya, Abhishek Khelkar, Satya Mehta | Based on the work by Bodhayana |
| 71 | Lakshmi Poojan | 2013 | Uttam Gada | |
| 72 | Pappa, No Problem | 2014 | Hemant Kariya | |
| 73 | Bhavprapanch | 2014 | Sidharshi Gani | |
| 74 | Popcorn with Parsai | 2014 | Nilay Upadhyay | Based on the work by Harishankar Parsai |
| 75 | BKP Ni Duniya Rang Rangili & Mahajan | 2014 | Prayag Dave, Raju Dave | |
| 76 | Mohan No Masalo | 2015 | Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta | Biographical play about early life of Mahatma Gandhi |
| 77 | Pai Pai | 2015 | Dhiruben Patel | |
| 78 | Karl Marx in Kalbadevi | 2015 | Uttam Gada | in Hinglish |
| 79 | Whats Up? | 2015 | Uttam Gada | Monologue; Social Comedy |
| 80 | Mohan's Masala | 2016 | Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta | Monologue English version of Mohan No Masalo |
| 81 | Gathariya | 2016 | Satya Mehta | Story of Chandravadan Mehta(Chan Chi Mehta) Based on a work by Kanti Patel |
| 82 | Mohan Ka Masala | 2016 | Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta | Monologue Hindi version of Mohan No Masalo |
| 83 | Kamra Bhabhi No Baraapo | 2016 | Adhir Amdavadi | |
| 84 | Margdarshan | 2016 | Sitanshu Yashaschandra | |
| 85 | Vrudhshatak | 2016 | Kamal Vora | Dramatised reading of Kamal Vora's poetry |
| 86 | Khichadi | 2016 | Labhshankar Thakar | Tribute to Labhshankar Thakar. |
| 87 | Sikkani Triji Baju | 2016 | Naushil Mehta | Comic Thriller |
| 88 | Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share | 2017 | Geeta Manek | Biographical play about Anandibai Joshi |
| 89 | Kaagdo | 2019 | Geeta Manek | |
| 90 | Mitha No Satyagrah | 2019 | Naushil Mehta | |
| 91 | Adbhut | 2021 | Satchit Puranik | |
| 92 | Mr. Apple | 2022 | Shishir Ramavat | On the relationship of Steve Jobs and his daughter |
| 93 | Bombay Flower | 2023 | Gita Manek | Biographical play about Ratanbai ‘Ruttie’ Petit who had married Muhammad Ali Jinnah |

## Footnotes

* ↑ The term 'Bhagwadi' was derived from the Bhangwadi neighborhood in Mumbai which was a centre of theatre activities in the early 1870s. Male actors impersonated females then because acting was a social taboo and females could not participate in the theatre. The actors had to speak dialogues loudly so the whole audience could hear it. Music, dance and singing was an integral part of theatre then.