ABSTRACT
The new initiative in 1933 is described by K. Narayan Kale, an important member, as: [A]nother band of youthful lovers of theatre who organized themselves into a limited liability company … with the object of introducing the modern intellectual play of Europe to the Marathi reader and theatre-goer. The much-admired Ibsen finally arrived on the Marathi stage through 'Natya Niketan' founded in 1940 by M. G. Rangnekar. He was a journalist; writer of essays, novels, and bhavgits; recording and radio technician; and small-time film-maker — who found his niche as a playwright, producer, and director with a finger on the theatre-goers' pulse. Like a breath of fresh air came the unique contribution of Pralhad Keshav Atre which introduced humour both as the mainstay of drama and as a conspicuous tempering of solemnity. His predilection for parody to expose human follies and foibles extended iconoclastically to even well-known persons or literary works.
