MUMBAI, July 1 -- Renowned actor-director Vijaya Mehta, who drastically transformed Marathi theatre with a slew of experimental plays which resonated with Mumbai's cultural renaissance in the 1960s, died after prolonged illness at her Nepean Sea Road residence on Tuesday. She was 91. She is survived by daughter Anahita, a well-known theatre person, and two sons. Mehta brought a whiff of fresh air to the stuffy world of Marathi theatre with landmark plays such as 'Mee Jinklo, Mee Harlo', 'Baiee, Khulabai', 'Barrister', 'Hamidabaichee Kothi', 'Ajab Nyaay Vartulaachaa' and 'Purush', to name a few. Born in a middle class Kayastha family known for its passion for academia and the arts, Mehta studied in St Columba Girls' High School, in Gamdevi. A Mumbai University graduate, she joined the theatre group helmed by Adi Marzban, one of the stalwarts of Mumbai's Parsi theatre. She also took lessons in acting from the legendary Ebrahim Elkazi, who later helmed the National School of Drama in New Delhi. Mehta however chose to concentrate her energies on the fledgeling New Theatre movement in Marathi theatre, which leading playwrights Mama Warerkar, and M G Rangnekar, had flagged off in the post-Independent era. Mehta began her acting stint as Desdemona in the Marathi translation of 'Othello'. Soon, she launched Rangayan, a theatre group with playwright Vijay Tendulkar, actors Dr Shriram Lagoo, Damu Kenkre, Arvind Deshpande, and his wife Sulabha, and Madhav Watve, as her trusted colleagues. Tendulkar was eager to experiment with new ideas and contemporary themes questioning public morals, power and patriarchy. The Mehta-Tendulkar-Lagoo troika altered the style and substance of Indian theatre, said cultural chroniclers. After a two-year sabbatical in London following a split in Rangayan, Mehta returned to Mumbai and joined commercial theatre, choosing middle-of-the-road plays which, while lacking the fiery passion of the Rangayan era, offered a nuanced interpretation of the post-Independent India amidst the growing middle class and urbanisation. Soon, Mehta groomed new playwrights such as C T Khanolkar, Jaywant Dalwi, Mahesh Elkunchwar and Anil Barwe, and directed 'Ajab Nyay Vartulaacha', a gripping Marathi translation of Brecht's 'Caucasian Chalk Circle'. However, it was 'Barrister', 'Wada Chirebandi' and 'Purush' which brought fresh laurels to Mehta, both as actor and director. The three plays delved deep into the mystique and magic of human relationships with remarkable sensitivity, and tackled contemporary issues such as state and the individual, tradition and modernity. Mehta worked as administrator for prestigious cultural centres such as the NCPA and the National School of Drama. In the 1980s she briefly dabbled in the world of small screen, directing 'Life Line', a popular TV serial woven around medi-care and life in a hospital. Mehta collaborated with German theatre person Fritz Bennewitz for the Marathi adaptation of 'The Caucadian Chalk Circle." Mehta groomed a band of actors, including Nana Patekar, Reema Lagoo, Ashok Saraf, Bharati Achrekar, Vandana Gupte, Suhas Joshi, Neena Kulkarni, Vikram Gokhale, Mangesh Kulkarni and Pratima Kulkarni, all big names in the world of entertainment....