Does God really exist? Or have we conjured up God, and invested him with all the qualities which we ourselves find hard to attain, a sort of ideal to aspire to? Is that why when a person approaches the ideal, we tend to deify him? Is there a spark of divinity in all of us, which lies latent, but can rise to the surface, if we just give it a chance? Sri Sathya Sai Creations’ ‘Ada Kadavulae,’ (story and dialogue Ezhichur Aravindan), dealt with these questions.
Long suffering Arunachalam (Mapilai Ganesh) is never allowed to forget his unprepossessing appearance. Jibes and taunts from his family make his life a misery. God (an endearing, if rather tubby Girish) appears, and shows Arunachalam the purpose of life. One can’t help feeling sorry for Arunachalam. It does seem unfair of God to have created this one man to keep so many happy. But that perhaps is the subtext of the play. In almost every family, there is someone who shoulders a disproportionate share of the family burden, and gets no thanks for it.
‘God’ is not new to Tamil theatre. There have been many plays with God as a character in the past too – for instance, the play of Thengai Srinivasan’s, which was later made into the film ‘Kaliyuga Kannan’ and Sujatha’s ‘Kadavul Vandirundaar,’ starring Poornam. What made ‘Ada Kadavulae’ different was the way the idea of ‘God’ was handled. The usual glib reasoning offered to the suffering is that they are not to question God, and that God’s ways are inscrutable. But Arunachalam, in ‘Ada Kadavulae,’ is not content with such poor consolations. He demands explanations from God.
He refuses to leave this world unwept and unloved by his family. This refusal to grin and bear it is what makes Arunachalam an extremely likeable hero. He is good, without being self-righteous. Usually the one who has been bitten by the religious bug walks around smugly, as if he has a halo round his head. But Arunachalam has a zest for life, and is as human in his desires as anyone else. The play was refreshingly different from the usual plays featuring a ‘God.’
Mapilai Ganesh as Arunachalam played his role with élan. Palani as the film director with his jaunty walk and cheeky lines was a delight. Usually Satya Sai Creations comes up with comedies, where one laughs unmindful of the fact that the plays lack logic. But here was a play that made one cogitate. Whatever jokes there were blended into the story, and did not stand out. And the message was etched subtly. With an unusual storyline, well written dialogue, taut editing and good direction (Mapilai Ganesh) the play was an excellent beginning for a fortnight of feast. Good show, Ganesh!
Tribute to Rajagopal
This year marks the silver jubilee of Kartik Fine Arts’s Kodai Nataka Vizha. Tributes were paid to Kartik Rajagopal, who passed away recently. Crazy Mohan recalled the enthusiasm of Rajagopal for theatre. As soon as one play of Mohan’s had been inaugurated, Rajagopal would ask him if he had started work on his next play! S.Ve. Sekar said that Rajagopal’s friendship with theatre persons didn’t just stop with his encouragement for their endeavours. He brought a personal touch to the equation, and Rajagopal was always the first to wish Sekar on the latter’s birthday, a practice Rajagopal continued even when he was bedridden. With a view to encouraging Tamil theatre, Kartik Fine Arts has decided to provide subsidies to award winning plays, up to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 rupees for the first prize winner.
