Natya Sangeet was the soul of the Marathi theater right from the beginning the musical play saw its golden age of Gandharva, Dinanath Mangeshkar and Keshavrao Bhosle. But in the early forties, with the rise of the silver screen, the Marathhi stage suffered a setback. Also, the curtain was rung down on Sangeet Natak. Despite BAL Gandharva and others, it could not be revived.
Vasant Desai breathed new life into the extinct Marathi Musical play. He was instrumental in reviving the tradition of the musical play, reminiscent of the Bal Gandharve era. Panditraj Jagannath, written by Vidyadhar Gokhale, was hailed as one of the greatest Marathi musical plays of all time. All the songs in the epoch making play were based on ragas and sung by well-known singers such as Prasad Savkar,Bhalachandra Pendharkar and Lakshmi Shankar. This play, studded with 31 songs, placed Vasant Desai right on top in the realm of Natya Sangeet.
The success of Panditraj Jagannath created a new wave of renaissance in Marathi theatre. Jagannagth was followed many more plays including Jaya Jaya Gouri Shankar, Preeti Sangam and Dev Dina Gharee Dhaavalaa. He wrote the musical score for 14 musical Marathi plays, and was acknowledged as the most successful composer on the Marathi stage.