When Meera Krishnan Kutty as a writer had the opportunity of meeting and having a heart to heart talk with a grief- stricken, helpless mother of a terrorist, the idea of ‘Anantaram’ (Aftermath) took root. As a child the boy was shy and innocent. He got ensnared in this web of deceit, hatred and cruelty. He became a brainwashed tool that was exploited to wreak havoc on society, just to suit the vested interests of a ruthless group.
Through her play, Meera wanted to highlight the perils of terrorism.
It is an emotional story of a highly principled Muslim couple, whose only son falls under the spell of a terrorist group during his final year of college.
The couple consider the village they live in as their home and the villagers as close family members or siblings. The boy, ignoring the sane advice of his friend, undertakes to execute mass killings in this peaceful place. The same group also lures a local mason with money to help them target his community too.
Ahamad Haji (Dr. A.V. Anoop) as the respected Headmaster of the local school was the central character and a live wire who motivated the audience to fight against terrorism with his superb acting and powerful voice modulations.
Aminaumma (Lakshmi Gopakumar) as wife of Ahamad Haji, Gopalan Master (Dr. Haridas Nedungadi), Father John (Mr. Gopakumar), Pookkkoya (K.P. Latheef) Kunhimon (Aneesh) As Haji’s Son, Manikutty Kunhimon’s childhood love (Mrs. Prajila Aneesh), Kanaran (M.C. Vinodkumar) as mason, Hariharan as the policeman did their job well.
Special mention must be made about the superb acting of Bapputty as tea shop owner (P.P. Sasikumar), Kadija as Baputty’s wife (Girija Krishna) & Nitin Nair as Kunhimon’s college mate.
In music, Cochin Alex showed that he had the calibre to deliver.
The meticulous makeup by Perambur Kumar also deserved special mention.
Fine direction
A touching story, the dialogue was crisp, sharp, fluent and beautifully delivered making it seem real and authentic.
Sahadevan Master’s fine directorial touches and untiring, energetic rehearsals for 45 days did reap the benefits, when he was congratulated by the top people of Tamilnadu Kerala Muslim Association such as Imbitchi Bava.
Chief guest K.S. Sethumathavan urged Meera Krishnan Kutty to stage it at the national level as the powerful subject would be of national interest.
This writer has normally seen hardly 50 people turning up for any play and perhaps 100 for a noteworthy one. So it was astonishing to find that by 6.15 p.m. the vast playground of Asan Memorial School, Chennai, was filled with cars and late comers had to park them outside the school. And the play opened to a packed hall and those who came in late had to stand.
