Typical Indian Parents’ Mentality Portrayed in the Drama “Do the Needful” by Mahesh Dattani

Mahesh Dattani is a well-known playwright and a film director of India, whose themes mainly revolve around modern-day Indian issues. Although the main theme of the drama “Do the Needful” is not about the mindsets of the Indian parents, the researcher has found it interesting that the dialogues between parents of the Lata and Alpesh sound very much like the typical parents of many households. The qualities that the parents look for in a Son-in-law of a Daughter-in-law, the discussion between the mother and father weighing the pros and cons of the match, forcing the wedding on their children, talking high of the properties of the in-laws, all these factors are the stories of many households in India.  This research paper is an attempt to bring out some of the typical characteristics of the mindset of the Indian parents with reference to the play.  In the first part of the paper, the researcher introduces Mahesh Dattani as a playwright and introduces the general traits of the Indian parents. The researcher justifies that it is not to generalize but to reflect the attitude of the majority of Indian parents. In the second part of the play and the theme are explained. In the next part of the paper, various lines from the play that represent the theme are taken and explained amalgamated with the quotes of other researchers to justify the theme of the research paper. The last part of the research paper concludes with the critical appreciation of the play.