VEENAPANI CHAWLA
Akademi Award: Direction

Born in 1947 in Bombay, Shrimati Veenapani Chawla is one of the foremost directors in contemporary Indian theatre. A self-taught artist, she has evolved a new language for theatre practice through a process of intensive training in various forms of performing arts under traditional gurus and modern masters. Thus she learnt Chhau from Guru Krishna Chandra Naik, Dhrupad from the Dagar brothers, and Kutiyattam from Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. On the other hand, she took voice training from Patsy Rodenberg at the Royal Shakespeare Company, London, and attended Eugenio Barba’s Odin Teatret in Denmark. In 1981, she founded the Adishakti Theatre Company in Bombay, where she creates new theatre and imparts training to performers. She holds post-graduate degrees in history and political philosophy from the Universities of Delhi and Bombay.

Shrimati Veenapani Chawla started her career as an actor-director in 1979 with Sita, where she played the lead role. Her subsequent productions include Oedipus, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Trojan Women, A Greater Dawn, Impressions of Bhima, So What’s New?, The Awakening Ray, Khandava Prastha Agni Ahooti, and Brihannala. Her productions such as Rhythm, Ganapati, and The Hare and The Tortoise have had leading actors including Naseeruddin Shah, Deepa Lagoo, Alok Nath, Neena Gupta, Sohaila Kapoor, and Javed Jafri on their casts. She has herself acted in several plays including
Roshomon directed by Amol Palekar and Jasma Odan directed by Shanta Gandhi.

Shrimati Chawla has been awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Government of India, and has co-authored a book titled Early Indian Political History. She has travelled widely on various research projects, and has conducted theatre festivals, workshops and seminars within and outside the country.

Shrimati Veenapani Chawla receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Indian theatre as a director.