Safdar Hashmi was a communist playwright and director, best known for his work with street theatre in India. He was also an actor, lyricist, and theorist, and he is still considered an important voice in Indian political theatre. He was an activist of the Students' Federation of India.
He was a founding member of Jana Natya Manch in 1973, which grew out of the Indian People's Theatre Association. He was murdered in 1989 in Jhandapur, while performing a street play, Halla Bol.