FOREWORD

By Mahesh Dattani. Playwright – Dance Like a Man

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I wrote Dance Like a Man almost 35 years ago. My dance gurus Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi and Shri. U S Krishna Rao was the inspiration behind the writing of the drama, although my play is pure fiction.

 

They spoke perfect English, and they spoke perfect Kannada. Their mother tongue was Tulu, and I assume they spoke Tulu with equal facility. But they were at their expressive best when they spoke in Kannada. Writing the play in English was challenging because I could hear my imagined characters speak Kannada precisely as my gurus did!

 

Now, after 35 years, I am so excited that Anand Rao and his group have taken up the task of translating it to Kannada and producing it. This first-time endeavor in Kannada is like an origins story in my head!

 

Anand sent me his translation for my approval, but my bad Kannada worsened after moving to Mumbai fifteen years ago. Having seen Anand's play, A Muslim in Our Midst in the US, I trust his dramaturgy. He is skilled in both languages, an ability I admire in others, especially with Girish Karnad.

 

I wish Anand and his team the best. I am eager to see this homegrown version spring to life. Most productions assume the characters are Tamil speaking, but this will be different.