Mahesh Dattani is a leading dramatist. Described as 'one of India's best and most serious contemporary playwrights writing in English' by Alexander Viets in the International Herald Tribune, he was the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi award.

Born on August 7, 1958, Dattani received his early education at Baldwin's High School and then went on to join St. Joseph's College of Fine Arts and Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka.

Before his entry into the world of theatre Dattani worked as a copywriter in an advertising firm, besides a stint with his father in the family business. In 1984 he founded his theatre group 'Playpen' and in 1986 he wrote his first play  Where There's A Will. Since then he has written many plays such as Tara, Night Queen, Final Solutions and Dance Like A Man. His plays are based on social issues.

Mahesh Dattani is also active in the field of filmmaking. One of his films Dance Like A Man won the award for the best picture in English in the National Panorama section of the India International Film Festival.

Dattani teaches theatre courses at the summer session programmes of Portland University, Oregon, USA. He also imparts training in the field of acting, directing and play writing at his own theatre studio in Bangalore.

His major plays have been Bravely Fought The Queen, Dance Like A Man, Do The Needful, Final Solutions, Night Queen, On A Muggy Night In Mumbai, Seven Circles Round The Fire, Thirty Days In September and Where There's A Will.