Asif Currimbhoy, 1928-1994, was a playwright born in Mumbai, India. He attended St. Xavier's High School in Mumbai, where he learned English, and he went on to study at the University of California and the University of Wisconsin in the United States. His exposure to Western culture (especially the works of William Shakespeare) heavily influenced his playwriting, but he also drew on his experiences as a non-practicing Muslim and his own native Indian culture. Currimbhoy essentially laid the foundation of modern Indian drama and is one of the most significant figures in Indian English literature.

His plays are characterized by variety and versatility; he seldom created a structured plot, relying instead on the interaction of the physical action with other dramatic elements like music, film footage, and slide projections. Many of his characters are social outcasts living in Mumbai shantytowns, and his plots explore themes such as postcolonialism, racial tension, the interactions of Eastern and Western culture, and social inequality. His most famous play, Goa, was published in 1964. Other notable works include The Doldrummers (1960), The Dumb Dancer (1961), The Hungry Ones (1965), The Refugee (1971), Sonar Bangla (1972), and The Dissident M.L.A. (1974).