Natsamrat Written By -
While the script is a masterpiece, Natsamrat is forever tied to the legendary performance of Dr. Shriram Lagoo (and later, Nana Patekar in the film adaptation). Lagoo’s portrayal of Ganpatrao Belwalkar is considered the gold standard of Indian acting. Watching a master actor play a master actor losing his mind is a meta-theatrical experience like no other.
For those asking "natsamrat written by," the next logical question is, "What is it about?" The play opens with Natsamrat Ganpatrao Belwalkar (affectionately known as Appa), a retired Shakespearean actor of legendary status. Having performed as King Lear, Othello, and Hamlet hundreds of times, he now lives in a sprawling wada (mansion) with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law.
The conflict begins when his daughter and son-in-law (specifically the greedy son-in-law, Nana) force Appa to sign over the deed to the house. Believing in the goodness of family, he does. Soon after, the family abandons him. Appa and his devoted wife (Akkā) are reduced to begging, living in a dilapidated Darga (tomb) in a cremation ground.
The second half of the play is a devastating psychological breakdown. Appa, stripped of his home and dignity, clings to the only thing left: his art. Drunk and hallucinating, he performs a one-man show for the ghosts in the graveyard. The climax, where he dies upon an imaginary stage speaking lines from King Lear, is considered one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in world theater.
Unlike frivolous commercial plays, Natsamrat carries a heavy autobiographical and philosophical weight. Kusumagraj wrote this play as a meditation on Shakespeare’s King Lear, but transposed onto the soil of Maharashtra. natsamrat written by
The protagonist, Natsamrat Nana Choudhary (often shortened to "Appa"), is a legendary stage actor who has devoted his life to the strict, authentic discipline of classical theatre—specifically the Sangeet Natak (musical drama) tradition. When the play begins, Appa has retired and given his wealth to his daughters, only to be betrayed.
Kusumagraj wrote this character as a metaphor for the artist in a changing world. The play’s central tragedy is not just a father’s betrayal by his children, but the death of a classical art form at the hands of crass, modern cinema. Kusumagraj channeled his own fears: as a poet of the old guard, he watched the younger generation abandon nuanced literature for pulp.
The play famously asks: Is life a reality, or is it a performance? Appa cannot distinguish between his role as King Lear and his role as a father. This blurring of lines is the play’s philosophical core.
When critics analyze the text Natsamrat written by Kusumagraj, they often marvel at its Aristotelian unity. The play unfolds over a few days in a small town. While the script is a masterpiece, Natsamrat is
The writer, Kusumagraj, uses the theatre itself as a character. When Appa dies on the stage, clutching the curtain, he isn't just a man dying; it is art dying in the arms of its true home.
So, the next time someone searches for "natsamrat written by," you can give them more than just a name. You can tell them the story of Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar (Kusumagraj), a poet who looked at a graveyard in Nashik, thought of King Lear, and penned a testament to the tragic glory of the artist.
Natsamrat is not merely a play; it is a mirror held up to society. It asks us: Do we value our cultural treasures while they are alive, or only after they are gone? Kusumagraj wrote the words, but the silence that follows Appa’s death belongs to all of us.
Final Answer: Natsamrat was written by Kusumagraj (Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar) in 1970. The writer, Kusumagraj, uses the theatre itself as
If you enjoyed this deep dive, explore the original Marathi script of Natsamrat or watch the 2016 film adaptation to witness the genius of Kusumagraj firsthand.
Natsamrat is not merely a play about an actor; it is a philosophical inquiry into what remains when an artist loses his audience, his family, and his sanity. Kusumagraj’s genius lies in making Ramrao’s madness appear saner than the commercial world around him. The final image—a homeless man performing Hamlet’s soliloquy in the rain—haunts us because it asks: If an artist performs and no one watches, is he still an emperor?
The play’s answer is a defiant yes. Art is its own kingdom.
