Challenging Patriarchal Structures: Feminist Themes in the Plays of Mahesh Dattani

Abstract

This paper examines how Mahesh Dattani, one of India's foremost contemporary playwrights, incorporates feminist themes in his dramatic works to challenge deeply entrenched patriarchal structures in Indian society. Through close textual analysis of key plays including Tara, Dance Like a Man, Bravely Fought the Queen, and Final Solutions, this study reveals how Dattani creates complex female characters who navigate and resist societal constraints. The analysis demonstrates that Dattani's dramatic work destabilizes traditional gender roles, interrogates the mechanisms of female oppression, and creates spaces for female agency within restrictive social frameworks. This paper argues that while Dattani's plays do not present utopian feminist resolutions, they effectively expose the contradictions and injustices of patriarchal systems, inviting audiences to critically engage with gender politics in contemporary India. Dattani's unique contribution lies in his ability to integrate feminist perspectives with other intersecting concerns including class, sexuality, religion, and family dynamics, creating a multidimensional critique of power structures that oppress women in the Indian context.