It is a hat trick of sorts for Theatre of Maham (TOM) and playwright G. Radhakrishnan, who have come together for Thillalangadi Mohanambal , which will keep you in splits from start to finish. Earlier, they had collaborated for Perumalae and I.Va.Ka , both having a liberal dose of humour.
Although the premise is not new, the playwright’s treatment is fresh. The dialogue on Nala-Damayanthi, especially was thought-provoking. Appuswamy (Sureshwar) is in a dilemma. According to his mother’s will, he can only inherit her property on the day of his marriage. And there is another clause that says he has to marry before or on his 30th birthday, which is just a week away. The problem is his girlfriend has eloped with his room mate. Now he needs to find someone before the deadline or lose everything.
Thanks to an inspector friend (Hari), he gets Thillalangadi Mohanambal (Y.G. Madhuvanthi), who has a criminal record, to act as his wife. His uncles, who are the custodians of the will, find to their shock that their nephew’s choice is a woman who had earlier duped them. The climax is a laugh riot. S. Sureshwar as the director has conceived this particular scene very well.
Excelled in lingo
Y.Gee.Mahendran’s protégés, S.Sureshwar and Madhuvanthi Arun (YGM’s daughter), carried the play on their shoulders. Madhuvanthi excelled in the Madras slang and the Brahmin dialect. The way she used body language to switch between the two roles was a treat. Sureshwar’s portrayal was apt.
The hall vibrated with laughter whenever Hari appeared as Inspector Singam, a replica of the hero of the Singam film franchise. Hari actually is one of the mainstays of TOM. Dhanalakshmi as the constable also caught the audience’s attention.
Young Balaji as TM’s brother proved his talent through facial expressions and dialogue delivery. The three uncles of the hero played by Mal Maruga, Srinath and Subramaniam conveyed the gullibility of their characters well, their distinct styles adding pep.
Noteworthy contributions were from the technical crew — Kalai Ravi, Dasarathan, Yugendar, Subramaniam and Padma Stage Kannan.
The play was recently presented by Abbas Karthik at the Koviloor Madalayam Hall, West Mambalam, under the auspices of ABBAS.
