Director · Actor · Producer · Founder
Manoj Shah
Born 5 February 1955 in Mumbai, Manoj Sakarchand Shah began as a dance teacher before a play directed by Mahendra Joshi turned him toward theatre. Inspired by Badal Sircar, Utpal Dutt, and Vijaya Mehta, he made his directorial debut with Master Phoolmani at the Prithvi Theatre Festival in 1999 — a production that ran for sixteen years. Since then he has directed 96+ productions in Gujarati, Hindi, and English under his company Ideas Unlimited, working with 157+ freelance artists. His biographical plays — Mareez (200+ performances since 2004), Mohan No Masalo (starring Pratik Gandhi, Limca Book of Records), Hu Chandrakant Bakshi, Karl Marx In Kalbadevi — are credited with sparking a cultural renaissance in Gujarati theatre. He has collaborated with painters Bhupen Khakhar, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, and Atul Dodiya on set design, and worked with filmmakers Richard Attenborough, Ketan Mehta, Ashutosh Gowariker, and Anand Gandhi. His productions have toured the USA, UK, Canada, Dubai, Singapore, and Muscat, and been selected for the Prithvi Festival, NSD Festival, Kalaghoda, Mumbai Theatre Utsav, and the Theatre Olympics.
With Ideas Unlimited
Beyond IU
Press & Media
Mumbai Theatre Guide
Manoj Shah Interview (2010)
Mumbai Theatre Guide
Manoj Shah Interview (2014)
The Indian Express
Manoj Shah: The Quiet Revolutionary of Indian Theatre
In a rare interview, the founder of Ideas Unlimited Productions reflects on three decades of pushing boundaries.
12 June 2024
Time Out Mumbai
The Poet in the Bedroom
Here's an alternative to oh-so-popular Gujarati bedroom comedies: Manoj Shah, the theatre director from Prithvi. He likes mixing up and meshing diverse styles. His guiding principles: Lage raho, lage raho.
22 October 2004
Ashish Lakhia Blog
Kathakaar of Gujarat: Manoj Shah, the Man of Theatre
His salt and pepper beard and hair, eyes peaking through glasses, and a mischievous sense of adventure. He has worked in every capacity — stage extra, actor, director, visualizer, and conceptualizer.
1 February 2008
Mumbai Theatre Guide
Manoj Shah Interview: Three-Day Festival at Prithvi Theatre
The plays are a reflection of my work in the theatre since the last eleven years. A gentleman has seen all the shows of Mareez in Mumbai.
25 June 2010
Mumbai Theatre Guide
Manoj Shah on Adapting Ibsen for Gujarati Theatre
It's a physiological thriller, part tragedy, part human drama. He incorporated Hindu temple architecture and the Sompura community instead of Gothic architecture.
1 November 2014