Sunil Shanbag

Sunil Shanbag, theatre producer/director and television writer/producer, worked as an actor/designer/ assistant director with Satyadev Dubey from 1974 to 1984 on about twenty-five productions. In 1985, Shanbag was one of the founding members and the artistic director of Arpana, a repertory company that has been working consistently till date doing an average of fifty performances a year. Plays directed by him have received wide acclaim.

Shanbag has also been involved in training actors for many years as part of Arpana’s regular activity. He conducted workshops for children and for students working towards a degree in Education at the Mumbai University, and at SNDT University.

Sunil Shanbag has worked closely with contemporary dancer Astad Deboo in creating dance and design concepts for several of his major projects including his work with other creative performers like master puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee, dhrupad singers Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha, and more recently with Thang-ta martial arts performers from Manipur.

Shanbag has worked extensively for television from 1985, developing programme concepts, researching, writing fiction and non-fiction material, and producing programmes, films, and series.

Maihar Raag, a film produced by him, won the National Award in 1994 for Best Non-Fiction Film.

He set up Chrysalis Films as an independent film company in 2000.

An active member for the last three years of Vikalp Films for Freedom, a platform of 300 documentary film makers across India, Sunil Shanbag had been General Secretary of the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association for the period 2005-06.