As a 37-year-old, he arrived in Delhi to head NSD and one of his first decisions was the staging of renowned playwright Dharamvir Bharati’s Andha Yug at a time when the Indo-China war was over. Based on the last day of the Mahabharata war, the anti-war play became a landmark production in Indian theatre, and one of the finest examples of off-site theatre, as it was staged amidst the ruins of Ferozshah Kotla fort, and later, at Purana Qilla.

He went on to direct over 50 plays, including works by Girish Karnad and Mahesh Elkunchwar. Some of his famous directorial works were Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Mohan Rakesh’s Ashadh ka ek din and Tughlaq by Karnad. The seminal figure was one of the first to focus on actor training and the criticality of visual impact in theatre production through set design, music, and costume, his daughter Amal Allana recalled during an interview with this newspaper, adding that his sets were like moving photographs.

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He started a theatre group at Bhulabhai Desai Road, which was an important cultural hub then, working with friends including MF Husain, who would often paint his sets, Tyeb Mehta and Akbar Padamsee. He had also established Meghdoot Theatre, open-air space in the terrace of his building at Cumballa Hill.

Few are aware that he was also an artist. He returned to art after he retired from NSD in 1977. For his contribution across theatre and the arts, he had been bestowed with several honours including the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Direction, the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan.

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