9th Annual Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards Announced - Manoj Omen, MD Pallavi & More!

The much-awaited Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) were announced in the capital at a gala awards ceremony at the Taj Mahal Hotel.

After enthralling theatre audiences with the six day Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Festival with the 8 of nation's best theatre productions, the spotlight turned to the winners of the coveted META in the 14 categories.

Girish Karnad was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian theatre by Mr. SP Shukla, Member of the Group Executive Board, President Group Strategy & Chief Brand Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra. The other awards presented were:

Piya Behrupiya bagged the Best Play, MG Jyotish was adjudged the Best Director for Macbeth. The Best Actor went to Manoj Omen for his performance in the play Moment Just before Death and MD Pallavi walked with the Best Actress recognition for C Sharp C Blunt.

The winners of the 9th Annual Mahindra Theatre in Excellence Awards are:

Best Play
Piya Behrupiya
The Company Theatre

Best Director
MG Jyotish
Macbeth

Best Actor (Male)
Manoj Omen
Moment Just Before Death

Best Actor (Female)
MD Pallavi
C Sharp C Blunt

Best Supporting Actor
Amitosh Nagpal and Gagan Riar
Piya Behrupiya

Best Supporting Actress
Neha Saraf
Piya Behrupiya

Best Original Script
Sophia Stepf, Pallavi MD, Swar Thounaojam and Irawati Karnik
C Sharp C Blunt

Special Jury Citation for script
Amitosh Nagpal
Piya Behrupiya

Best Stage Design
Liju Krishna
Moment Just Before Death

Best Ensemble
Piya Behrupiya
The Company Theatre

Best Innovative Sound/Music Design
Pallavi MD, Sophia Stepf and Nikhil Nagaraj
C Sharp C Blunt

Best Lighting Design
MG Jyotish
Macbeth

Best Costume Design
MG Jyotish
Macbeth

Best Choreography
MG Jyotish
Macbeth

Life Time Achievement
Girish Karnad

Speaking on the occasion, Ravi Dubey, Creative Director for META said, "It has been an exciting week of theatre and performances which brought forth the varied and diverse theatre talents from across the country. My Heartiest congratulations to all. And at META, we aspire to continue to inspire theater activity across the country and across all languages."

Jay Shah, Sr. General Manager, & Head Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., while congratulating the winners said, "Every year we are seeing the bar being raised - be it the quality of performances, plays and even technical design. The Mahindra Group is committed in making a significant difference in the way Theatre is supported and promoted in India. META is ample proof that the intent to encourage theatre from all corners of India in reaching higher standards of excellence has been successful. "

Attended by luminaries and leading lights of the country's art and theatre community, the awards were a perfect culmination to the eclectic week long celebration of theatre. The META 2014 five member grand jury consisting Mr. Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ms. Shabana Azmi, Ms. Sushma Seth, Ms. Swati Bhise and Mr. Utkarsh Mazumdar adjudged the 8 nominated productions to be honored with India's only national honor for theatre. For more information, please log on to http://www.metawards.com

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.

A USD 16.7 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 180,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, and information technology and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles, two wheeler industries and Media and Entertainment industry.

Its media and entertainment company, Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd., presented the Indian National Award-winning Best Feature Film, 'Antaheen' and co-produced 'The Tempest' directed by Julie Taymor. Currently, it is evaluating various opportunities in the media and entertainment space in India as well as internationally.

Visit us at www.mumbaimantra.com

The Mahindra Group has a long standing commitment to the arts and humanities. The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) were created to encourage both emerging and established theatre and the event celebrated its eighth anniversary in 2013. The Group's encouragement and support to world music was at its fore at the fourth annual Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai in February 2014 - the largest festival of its kind in Asia - showcasing the best international Blues artists and providing a common platform for emerging Indian Blues bands.

In 2012, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. In 2013, the Mahindra Group received the Financial Times 'Boldness in Business' Award in the 'Emerging Markets' category.

Visit us atwww.mahindra.com