When theatre doyen Vijaya Mehta used to conduct workshops at Lalit Kala Kendra at Savitribai Phule Pune University around 1999-2000, students did not learn about performance alone. Satish Alekar, the eminent playwright and former head of Lalit Kala Kendra, recalls, “She was very strict and disciplined. She used to come in and not go anywhere till the time was over.”
Mehta, who opened new avenues and ways of thinking for Marathi theatre, passed away at her home in Mumbai on Tuesday at the age of 91. The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, condoled her death by posting a message about her “sterling contribution of lasting excellence in theatre and cinema”. “She was a nurturing presence on the cultural scene of the nation for a very long time. She will be sorely missed,” said FTII.
Mehta’s theatre journey started when she was young and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and with doyens, such as Ebrahim Alkazi and Adi Pherozeshah Marzban, among others. In a lifetime spent on stage, Mehta shared her learnings, experiences, imagination and friendships to enrich Marathi and Indian theatre.
Her group, Rangayan, founded with a number of other theatre stalwarts, was a platform for radical, new ideas in the early 1960s. It gave a stage to new playwrights of the time, among them Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Elkunchwar, who would become legends over the years. Tendulkar’s Mi Jinkalo Mi Haralo (I Won, I Lost) was staged in 1963 and Elkunchwar’s Holi in 1970 travelled to Pune, possibly, the only it was performed other than Mumbai. Marathi audiences also got to see path-breaking works of foreign writers, such as Romanian-French playwright Eugène Ionesco’s Chairs that was staged as Khurchya, which Mehta directed in 1962.
“Her passing is a major loss to the Marathi industry. If we see the history of Marathi theatre, particularly that of the recent years and the ‘Experimental Theatre’, her contribution was impressive. She has guided several youngsters. What was unique about her was her affectionate, light-hearted and endearing nature which is rarely seen in our industry. Also she was connected with several people because of her good public relations. She was a little older than me, and even though we never worked together, we both used to admire each other’s work,” says pioneering filmmaker and screenwriter Sai Paranjype.
Young performers were of particular interest to her, as she nurtured their talent. Among those was Nana Patekar. “The person who held my hand and taught me how to walk through life has passed away today. There is a sense of emptiness; it feels as if I have lost my very shadow. First, my mother left us; then Sulbhatai, my second mother, passed away; and now Vijayatai, my third mother, is gone. I feel completely orphaned,” says Patekar.
Patekar recalls that they were together for Mehta’s birthday in December 2025. “She loved me dearly. She used to call me her eldest son – what more could one ask for in life? Ageing is a strange thing. Losing the hands that offered blessings brings such deep pain,” he says.
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Atul Pethe described Vijaya Mehta as “an icon” whose contribution to theatre was unparalleled. “As a director, she had complete command over every aspect of the stage—from lighting and movement to the overall production. As an actor, her stage presence, pronunciation and command over language were phenomenal,” he said.
Pethe recalled some of her landmark productions, including Wada Chirebandi and Barrister. According to him, she “created magic on stage.” He added that Mehta’s subtle performances had the ability to captivate audiences, drawing them into every expression and gesture. “We haven’t just lost a director and an actor; we have lost one of the pillars of the theatre world,” he said.
(With inputs from Shrijita Acharyya)