Mahesh Dattani is an Indian playwright, actor and director who is the first playwright in English to receive Sahitya Akademi award. He has written successful plays for acclaimed play directors like Arvind Gaur, Alyque Padamsee and Lillete Dubey. Thirty Days in September, Dance Like a Man, Final Solutions, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara and Bravely Fought the Queen are his noted plays as a playwright.His plays are often described as `total theatre'. He often incorporates dance forms in his plays. He is trained in Bharatnatyam and ballet too. Mahesh Dattani was born in Bangalore. He went to Baldwin Boys High School and then went on to join St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. Dattani is a graduate in History, Economics and Political Science. He is a post-graduate in Marketing and Advertising Management.

He is the director and screenwriter of critically acclaimed movie, Morning Raaga which portrayed the life of a Carnatic singer, the title role being played by Shabana Azmi. Mango Souffle was his debut feature film and it was based on one of his noted plays. Dance Like a Man and Ekalagmausam are other directorial ventures as a film director. Dance Like a Man won the award for the Best Picture in English at Indian panorama in the year 1998.