New Delhi, March 5 : Ram Gopal Bajaj stage, film and television actor/director will be conferred The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 2024.

He will be felicitated during the award ceremony on March 20 at Kamani Auditorium.

Bajaj is a distinguished figure in Indian theatre. Former director of the National School of Drama, Bajaj's career has earned him accolades including the Padma Shri in 1996 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003 for his contributions to the theatrical arts.

The jury for this year's META includes theatre actor and writer Dolly Thakore; actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda; theatre director and actor Kusum Haider; playwright Mahesh Dattani; actor, music composer, singer and set designer Raghuvir Yadav; director of the Serendipity Arts Foundation and Serendipity Arts Festival Smriti Rajgarhiya, and theatre and film actor Vinay Pathak.

Jay Shah, Head, of Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, said: 'Our commitment to nurturing theatre, the bedrock of numerous artistic expressions, has yielded remarkable results, with each passing year showcasing an unparalleled display of theatrical excellence.'

He said that META serves as a vibrant reflection of our nation's cultural mosaic, celebrating the richness of language, diversity of themes, and breadth of genres. As we approach the final years of its adolescence, META stands as a beacon of artistic ingenuity, embodying the very essence of our nation's creative spirit. We eagerly await the festival with a sense of anticipation and pride.

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts & Festival Producer, said: 'The META jury for 2024, represents the best of the arts. They will come together for a week to view the 10 best-nominated plays and award this year's winners on 20th March.'

The announcements came ahead of the week-long Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) and Festival to be held from March 14th to 20th, 2024 at New Delhi's Kamani Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre, where META 2024's ten shortlisted plays will be performed for a panel of jury members, and theatre-lovers in the capital.

As always, this year too, the Festival will focus on key narratives - such as a powerful retelling of epic tales, oppression and authoritarianism, protest and rebellion, identity and gender, the sanctity of the artist, ethics, morality, adventure and grit ' with its diverse repertoire of plays from across the country.

Like each year, the META secretariat received over 390 entries representing languages like Assamese, Bangla, English, Hindi, Hindustani, Malayalam and Marathi.

In previous years, the META Lifetime Achievement Award has been conferred on several stalwarts of Indian theatre, including Late Badal Sircar (2010), Late Zohra Sehgal (2011), Late Khaled Chaudhury (2012), Late E. Alkazie (2013), Late Girish Karnad (2014), Late Heisnam Kanhai Lal (2015), Ratan Thiyam (2016), Late Arun Kakde (2017), Vijaya Mehta (2018), Mahesh Elkunchwar (2019), Barry John (2020), Sushma Seth (2023).

/IANS