DEPICTION OF COMMUNAL CRISIS IN MAHESH DATTANI’S FINAL SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Mahesh Dattani’s Final Solutions is a significant work of contemporary Indian English drama 
that examines the persistent problem of communal tension between Hindus and Muslims. 
Written and performed in 1993, the play situates an immediate episode of communal violence 
within a larger historical framework extending from the Partition of India to the contemporary 
moment. The arrival of two Muslim youths, Bobby and Javed, in the home of a Hindu Gujarati 
family exposes the prejudices, fears, memories and contradictions that remain hidden beneath 
the surface of ordinary social life. This paper examines Dattani’s depiction of communal crisis 
through the interconnected themes of religious identity, historical memory, othering, inherited 
prejudice, gender, and reconciliation. Particular attention is given to the character of 
Hardika/Daksha, whose traumatic memories of Partition influence her perception of Muslims 
in the present; the Mob/Chorus, which embodies the collective psychology of communal 
hatred; and the Gandhi household, which functions as a microcosm of a divided society. The 
study also examines Dattani’s use of masks, chorus, fragmented chronology, diary entries, 
dramatic space and symbolism to represent the psychological dimensions of communal 
conflict. The paper argues that Dattani does not portray communal violence as a spontaneous 
consequence of religious difference. Instead, he presents it as a socially constructed and 
historically inherited phenomenon sustained by memory, stereotyping, fear, political 
manipulation and the failure of communities to recognize one another’s humanity. The ironic 
title Final Solutions therefore does not promise a simple remedy; rather, it invites self
examination, dialogue, empathy and the rejection of inherited prejudice as possible ways of 
interrupting the cycle of violence. 

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