From tight budgets to lack of skilled manpower, set design in Indian theatre is ridden with challenges. Ahead of his talk about the role of design in Indian theatre, icon MS Sathyu takes us backstage When we first met 84-year-old MS Sathyu, we couldn’t help but notice how his eyes lit up at the mention of the word 'design.' Dressed in a crisp white kurta-pyjama, the 60-plus years of experience sit lightly on his shoulders. The veteran, whose craft traverses films, theatre, ballet, small experimental and large-scale spectacular productions, shares his journey.

(Above and below) Sketch Artwork and the final set designed by Vivek Jadhav for the play Cotton 56, Polyester 84, (February 2006) directed by Sunil Shanbag