According to tradition Sudraka was known as the author of the celebrated Sanskrit prakarana or Mricchakatika. The prologue of the play contains a verse stating that he was a Kshatriya king, brave and handsome, who knew the Vedas, mathematics, the arts of courtesans, and the science of training elephants. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva who performed the military asvamedha, or horse sacrifice. He died aged 100 years and 10 days, voluntarily entering his own pyre. This account is apparently a later interpolation, but offers the only information about the dramatist. Scholars have attempted to identify him with the founder of the Andhrabhritya dynasty with Vikramaditya. Whatever the speculations, Sudraka cannot be placed later than the third century.

Mricchakatika or `The Little Clay Cart` is in ten acts, depicting the love between the Brahman Charudatta, a merchant impoverished by his generosities, and Vasantasena, a courtesan attracted to him because of his virtues. The title comes from a moving episode in which Charudatta`s son cries for a toy made of gold instead of the clay cart with which he plays. In the unusual subplot, a successful uprising takes place against the reigning king of Ujjayini. The play is a unique comedy in Sanskrit theatre. This is powerfully documenting the social and political conditions of the time as well as delicately delineating personal emotions. Another major feature is its use of several different Prakrit dialects spoken by the minor characters, the women, and the vidushaka. It also contains much wit, humour, and satire. All these traits, and Sudraka`s Mricchakatika in Bengali, directed by Kumar Roy was the staging of a revolution. It has given a wide appeal and appreciation among critics and directors not only in India but also the West.

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