Born on the 31st of March, 1843, Balwant Pandurang Kirloskar would be a revolutionary of the pen and the stage - for his works and direction would transform Marathi playwriting in a near-complete manner, bringing it to the modern age for audiences to enjoy. He was born in the Belgaum district and moved to Pune to pursue higher education. Burdened by parental pressure to find work, he would have to give up his writing dreams for a while and go to teaching in a school in Belgaum, and then in revenue and police departments of the town.

Drawing some inspiration from them, Kirloskar would create plays like Shakuntal in 1880 - a musical drama based on the Marathi translations of the Abhigyanshakuntalam of Kalidasa. He would stage the entire composition, often acting in it himself - with 198 musical pieces, of both Hindustani and Carnatic music. The play became an instant success among the people.

He would earn the name ‘Annasaheb’ and continue to write compositions like Saubhadra, again with over 100 musical pieces and his personal acting in the play. The performances of Shakuntal and Saubhadra have become a classic repertoire of Marathi theatre groups since then.

Kirloskar passed away in 1885. However, his legacy would be kept alive by his Natak Mandali till 1935 - as it toured Maharashtra, Karnataka and Maratha Princely states in North India - all singing and acting to his compositions, taking good inspiration from the maestro that had inspired them.