Would you pass up a chance to become famous? Neither did 10-year-old Kandiban R. The amateur actor landed his first role in a major production and spent his summer holidays practising for it. When school reopened, he managed to take on the tiring work schedule after coming back from school.
Only a small part, it however brought him in contact with top-notch artists of the theatre world and he is unable to suppress excitement as he talks about working with them.
“When I heard the Chennai-based production company SS International Live and theatre group Magic Lantern are bringing Pooniyin Selvan to the stage, I pestered my mother to take me to a rehearsal. They were practicing in a marriage hall in West Mambalam and I sat there for hours watching the whole crew practice. Seeing how interested I was in the drama, Pravin, the director of the play, and Kumaravel, one of the authors of the play, approached me and asked if I was interested in acting,” says this 5th standard students of PSBB, T. Nagar, who immediately jumped at the opportunity.
He played multiple small roles such as being a part of the crowd, acting as a butter-milk seller and a son to one of the main characters. “I left him at the rehearsal and was out doing some chores and when I came back to pick him up I was surprised to see him on the stage. I could see how much he enjoyed being part of the team,” says his mother Nandinee.
Kandiban joined the group only a month before they were to perform at Chennai and made sure he never missed a single rehearsal. “On weekdays, we were practicing from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Being the youngest, I was the most pampered,” says Kandiban, who also practices Taekwondo and yoga.
The only experience he has had in acting was at a theatre production choreographed by Andrea Jacob. “It was a spoof of Peter Pan and an Indianised version of it. I acted as Capitan Cook. The workshop introduced me tot basics of acting on stage and helped me deliver when I was taken in by Pravin. I was made part of even the warm-ups and voice modulation sessions for Ponniyin Selvan,” says Kandiban, who now geared up for the group’s performance at Madurai, followed by Coimbatore.
When asked if he has been promised a bigger role in another play, he shyly says yes “one of them has promised,” but refuses to reveal who or which play. Till he waits for his next big chance, Kandiban can bask in the glory of being part of such a huge production and seeing his name feature along with some senior stage artists.
