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Theatre doyen Vijaya Mehta dies in Mumbai at 91

Vijaya Mehta directed Ajab Nyaya Cartulacha, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which won audiences and critics at the Brecht festival in Berlin in 1973.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 2, 2026 03:02 AM IST

Vijaya passed away on June 30 in Mumbai at the age of 91.

In 1953, Wilson College in Mumbai staged William Shakespeare’s Othello and, among the audience was a brave young actor-director who would become a legend in Indian theatre, Ebrahim Alkazi. As he watched Othello, Alkazi’s keen eye picked out Desdemona, the heroine who encapsulates a woman’s tragedy as she pleads with her jealous and murderous husband in her dying moments, “Banish me, my lord, but kill me not”.

Alkazi was mesmerised, and invited “Desdemona” to join his ensemble, Theatre Group, which was, at the time, creating the most powerful plays in Mumbai, The actor was Vijaya Jaywant, a final-year student at Wilson College. Alkazi and the doyen of Parsi theatre, Adi Pherozeshah Marzban, she would hone her immense talent and set her on a course that would transform not only her oeuvre but also theatre in Maharashtra.

Also read | Vijaya Mehta dies at 91: Anupam Kher’s Pestonjee director ‘made him a student again’

Jaywant is better known as Vijaya Mehta. Theatre had brought her and Farrokh Mehta, credited as one of the forces of Mumbai’s English theatre culture, together. Vijaya, famously meticulous and disciplined, would go on to become Chairperson of India’s prestigious theatre academy, National School of Drama, in Delhi. She was also the Chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. For a decade-and-a-half, Vijaya was also the Executive Director of the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Vijaya passed away on June 30 in Mumbai at the age of 91. According to her family, she was suffering from a long illness. She is survived by a daughter, the actor-director Anahita Uberoi, and two sons.

Though Vijaya’s first professional Marathi theatre outing was in 1955, when she replaced the lead actor, in Junjarrao, it was in 1960s that she began her landmark contribution, a theatre laboratory called Rangayan. Rangayan was established with other stalwarts, such as playwright Vijay Tendulkar and actor-director Arvind Deshpande. Rangayan’s hunger for new ideas and experiments gave Marathi theatre fresh voices, such as of Tendulkar and Mahesh Elkunchwar, whose Mi Jinkalo Mi Haralo (I Won, I Lost) and Holi, respectively, were staged. The group looked towards powerful Western drama to bring to Marathi audiences, such as Romanian-French playwright Eugène Ionesco’s Chairs that was staged as Khurchya in 1962. Till 1972, when Rangayan closed, it revitalised Marathi theatre in a way that continues even today.

Mehta went on to act and direct in Marathi theatre, working with pioneers, such as Sai Paranjpye. Among her great works is directing Ajab Nyaya Cartulacha, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which was a collaborative project with eminent East German director Fritz Bennewitz, who worked in India from 1970 to 1994. The play won audiences and critics at the Brecht festival in Berlin in 1973. Many German theatre lovers of the 1970-1990s would be familiar with Vijaya’s works, due to the successes of Mudra Rakshaha in 1976, Shakuntala in 1980s and Nagamandala, among others. In 1985, Vijaya set the gold standards for directing Elkunchwar’s classic Wada Chirebandi, in which she also played Aai, the quiet matriarch of the crumbling Deshpande family. When she turned her attention to the screen, Vijaya created the award-winning Smriti Chitre, and the moving portrayal of friendship Pestonjee.

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life. Professional Background Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint. Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series). Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season: 1. Climate & Environment "Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week. "How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site. "Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner. 2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage "Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle. "Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport. "The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle. 3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc" "Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema. "Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups. "How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor. Signature Style Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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