Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, popularly known by his pen name `Kusumagraj`, was an eminent Marathi poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer and a freedom writer. He wrote the Vishaka (1942), a collection of lyrics, which inspired many and is today considered one of the masterpieces of Indian literature. He is also the writer of Natsamrat, which has an important place in Marathi literature. Natsamrat has won several awards, including the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award. It will now be seen in the form of a Marathi film, which is all set to release in January 2016.