Satyadev Dubey was a legendary Indian theatre director

Satyadev Dubey was a legendary Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Known for his immense contributions to Indian theatre and cinema, Dubey’s career spanned over five decades, during which he produced, directed, and acted in numerous iconic plays and films.

Satyadev Dubey was born on July 13, 1936, in Bilaspur, which is now in Chhattisgarh. He moved to Mumbai with the aim of becoming a cricketer but soon found his calling in theatre. In Mumbai he first joined St. Xavier’s College in 1952, where he met Vijay “Goldie” Anand, with whom he shared a deep bond.

Dubey joined the Theatre Unit, a theatre group run by Ebrahim Alkazi, which also operated a school for budding artists. It was the time when he wrote “Thodi Der Pehle, Thodi Der Baad,” a one-act play based on a British play, “Time and the Conways,” by J. B. Priestley. When Alkazi left for Delhi to head the National School of Drama, Dubey took over the Theatre Unit and went on to produce many important plays in Indian theatre.

Satyadev Dubey’s contributions to theatre are immense. He produced and directed several iconic plays that left a lasting impact on Indian theatre. Some of his most notable works include Girish Karnad’s “Yayati,” “Tughlaq,” and “Hayavadana,” Badal Sarkar’s “Ewam Indrajit” and “Pagla Ghoda,” Mohan Rakesh’s “Aadhe Adhure,” and Vijay Tendulkar’s “Gidhade,” “Baby,” and “Khamosh! Adalat Jaari Hai,” Dharmavir Bharati’s “Andha Yug, Chandrashekhara Kambara’s “Aur Tota Bola”, “Band Darwaza,” based on Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, Achyut Waze’s Sofa-Cum-Bed, and ‘Sambhog se Sanyas Tak,’ among others.

He also directed iconic English plays like “A Raincoat for All Occasions” and the French play “Antigone,” written by Jean Anouilh.

Satyadev Dubey was known for his exceptional teaching abilities, shaping the careers of numerous iconic actors and directors. He mentored legends like Amrish Puri, Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Govind Nihalani, Sulabha Deshpande, Sonali Kulkarni, Deepa Lagu, Suneela Pradhan, and Nina Kulkarni, among others. His influence extended beyond the stage, impacting Indian cinema profoundly.

Dubey was also renowned for his theatre training workshops, which he used to conduct at places like Prithvi Theatre and Karnataka Sangh without charging any fee. Dubey’s dedication to his craft and his role as a teacher and mentor helped nurture a generation of artists, establishing his enduring legacy in the world of acting and directing.

Dubey started his film journey with the short film “Aparichay Ka Vindhyachal,” starring himself, Alakananda Samarth, and mime artist Irshad Panjatan. The film, inspired by French New Wave cinema, follows a woman and two men over a single day.

His first feature film, “Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1971),” was the adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar’s play of the same name. It starred Ulabha Deshpande, Arvind Deshpande, and Amol Palekar and is considered a landmark in Indian cinema.

Dubey then wrote screenplays and dialogues for several iconic films such as Shyam Benegal’s “Ankur” (1974), “Nishant” (1975), “Bhumika” (1977), “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1980), “Vijeta” (1982), “Mandi” (1983), and Govind Nihlani’s “Aakrosh” (1980).

He also acted in a few films like Deewaar (1975), Kondura (1978), Anugraham (1978), Godam (1983), Pita (1991), Maya (1993), Hanan (2004), and Ata Pata Lapatta (2012), as well as TV serials Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) and Aahat (1995).

Throughout his illustrious career, Satyadev Dubey received numerous awards and accolades, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1971), the National Film Award for Best Screenplay for “Bhumika” (1978), the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for “Junoon” (1980), and the Padma Bhushan in 2011.

Dubey passed away on December 25, 2011, in New Delhi.