It was a double header of comedies last weekend where dialogues upstaged the form and content of the drama. Interesting knots and impressive performances were the hallmark of S.Ve. Shekher’s Modhi Vilayadu Pappa and Crazy Mohan’s Meesai Aanalum Manaivi . Organised by The Hindu Friday Review and MIOT Hospitals both the plays of the Nadaga Thiruvizha revolved around a string of lies and how the hero get caught in embarrassing situations because of it and how he extricates himself from them. Of course, it was just perfect for a riotous comedy.
Natakhapriya’s Modhi Vilayadu Pappa was all about Pappa’s (heroine) unreasonable demands and how Thambi Raja (hero) successfully makes her realise her folly. True to his motto ‘100 minutes and 200 laughters’, S.Ve. Shekher drew instant laughter from the word go with his impeccable sense of comic timing. Shekher’s play was satirical as it constantly poked fun at society, the political climate as well as the jail system. He came down strongly against the past regime and praised the new government. He even referred to ‘Namo tea stall’. He criticised meaningless activism.
The second day’s play Meesai Analum Manaivi by Crazy Creations revolved round Maadhu and the embarrassing situations he gets locked into because of frequent but harmless lies. What begins as a harmless lie to protect his job turns life miserable for Maadhu. Mythili, the spinster from Delhi who is madly in love with Maadhu, unaware of his marital status, compounds his misery. The hero has to now save his job and his marriage. ‘Crazy’ Mohan’s drama had all the essential ingredients of a classic comedy.
