1stAngel & Friends

Some of his best known plays are Ghasiram Kotwal, Shanta! Court Chalu Ahe (Silence! The Court Is in Session), Gidhade (Vultures) and Sakharam Binder.

Resistance

These plays were initially met with resistance from a conservative audience in the 1970s but went on to become classics and are still performed today.

Violence was an integral element of Tendulkar’s writing, be it about sexuality, death or social process. He also wrote on poverty, women’s issues, corruption and other social ills.

Tendulkar worked in a printing press and later with the Indian Express group of newspapers, where he wrote extensively on politics and other social issues.

He also wrote plays for children.

Tendulkar’s plays have been translated into English from the Marathi language and performed by leading Indian theatre artistes like Alyque Padamsee and Lilette Dubey.

Tendulkar also wrote screenplays for films in Hindi and Marathi.

His screenplay for Shyam Benegal’s Manthan won a national award.

Other films like Ardh Satya, Aakrosh, Nishant, Umbartha also have received critical acclaim.

He also translated some western plays.

The government awarded him with the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours in 1984.

Tendulkar is survived by his daughter.

Another daughter, Priya Tendulkar, who was regarded as India’s first television star, died in 2002. She was 42.