Mandya Ramesh is among the most popular comic actors of contemporary Kannada cinema and television. The award for best comic actor by Colors TV that he won last week, adds to the long list of accolades he’s collected over the years that also includes the State Award for his supporting role in the film, Nagamandala . But behind this popular image of a person who makes people laugh, is a very warm and sensitive personality: he’s a man who has lived and breathed theatre for more than three decades, and has learnt to laugh through his pain. He has the strength to see hope and opportunity in every situation, and takes great pride in the fact that he has raised his daughter to be a strong individual who is capable of making her own choices.
He runs the repertory school, Natana in Mysore — whose tagline Ondu Hudukata tells us that learning is a limitless endeavor — where he trains children and the youth in theatre practices. The larger aim of theatre, he believes, is to help us develop a modern worldview, to understand oneself and become better people.
Mandya Ramesh, the dedicated theatreperson, spoke to The Hindu when he came to Bengaluru for the 100th show of his play, Chama Chaluve .
My first brush with applause was for the wrong reason: I had a rural upbringing in the interior regions of Mandya district where the overnight company drama, the bayalaata was a big part of the cultural scene. I have been fascinated by it since I can remember. I loved the glitter and glamour of those nights – the lights, the colour, and the cheer they brought to our villages. And when we ran into the actors the next morning in the market place, the regard and respect they commanded from the people, was inspiring. I must have secretly developed a desire to be like them.
I was in class three when I acted in a play for the first time. I was dressed in a sari – they always made me play women’s roles until I was in college; I wonder why (laughs) – and when I turned to face the audience, the sari fell off. Rather than be upset, I felt gratified by the laughter that followed. So, somehow, the stage drew me and I started acting in school plays. By the time I was in class six, I had written a 30-minute play based on the Mahabharata , staged it and even printed tickets for it.
Ninasam and the ‘dramatic’ change in life: I was a paperboy during my high-school because of which I had developed a reading habit – I read all the newspapers that I could lay my hands on. That helped me stay in touch with what was happening in our society and the world at large – I developed thoughts and opinions on social issues. I started a drama group in my college called Vedike , through which we did street plays about social causes. I then participated in a theatre workshop with Ashok Badardinni, and that’s when I felt I should study theatre academically. I went to Ninasam which proved to be a much bigger window to the world than I could have imagined. Some of the biggest names in the field of literature and performance were our teachers there: Shivram Karanth, K.V Subbanna, Lankesh, Ananthmurthy, Prasanna, C.R Jambe etc. introduced me to some amazing ideas and ways of thinking. I developed a love for literature and read all the great plays available in the library. I was introduced to world cinema, and I began to understand the works of Bergman, Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray etc.
Ninasam started its first tirugata , the touring repertory when I was there, and I was among its first members. I remember we had performed Gorki’s play, Lower Depths under Jambe’s direction. I was part of the tirugata for three years.
Rangayana, commitment and security: Ninasam had introduced me to a whole new way of thinking and seeing, but I was tormented by financial insecurity. Baddhate and bhadrate — commitment and security — are two things that I was trying to balance in my life. I was told that B.V Karanth had started a theatre institution called Rangayana and it offered a stipend to its students. I applied to Rangayana and got in as a member of the first batch of students.
Listening to the rangajangama Karanth speak and conceptualise theatre was mesmerizing. Apart from that, living like a community, a family under the umbrella of theatre, were the subliminal lessons I learnt from him. With the little money he had, he took us on a theatre tour; we also performed in foreign countries.
Janumada Jodi and the tryst with cinema: We started hearing rumours that Rangayana would shut down – Rangayana was always plagued by financial crises. By then, I was married to my classmate and fellow theatre practitioner, Saroja Hegde and our daughter, Disha was born. I was worried about the future and was unsure about how I’d provide for my family. That’s when T.S. Nagabharana got me a role in a film with Shivarajkumar. I was given this role because of my skill as a kamsale artist. That film was Janumada Jodi and it turned out to be a super-duper hit.
I then went on to work in Nagamandala that got me the State Award. That recognition got me more roles in films and I have worked in 175 films, so far! But I have never given up theatre; it’s my calling, my passion – it’s my home.
Even while I was shooting for Kanasugara , I was simultaneously directing the play Agni Mattu Male .
Natana and the dream: At Natana, we have worked with orphans, slum children, and children of prisoners, and used theatre as a very effective medium of instruction. We conduct workshops for 300 students each year out of which 200 students are regular. We conduct a one-year programme with a detailed syllabus on acting, and various theories of acting, for young adults. Many of our students are going to NSD, Ninasam and other big places from there.
I’m proud to give my daughter more opportunities than I had: I don’t believe in nature over nurture. Nothing can replace hard work and perseverance. But at the same time, nothing should be forced. My wife and I provided our daughter with all the love and support we could, and gently encouraged her to explore her own interests. At first, she didn’t show much inclination towards acting. Now she’s picked up acting on her own accord and is doing well.
She worked in B. Suresh’s Devaranadalli that released recently. She’s now playing the lead in an upcoming murder mystery.
I don’t call myself comfortable financially – I still have some debts, I live in a rented house, and most of my earnings go in the running of Natana. But that doesn’t bother me at all. I feel happy that I have managed to provide my daughter with the opportunities that were not available for me, and I am confident that she will make the right choices.
I also have great faith in the theatre fraternity – it is my extended family – and know that it will be there for me and my loved ones always.
