Though the backdrop and the costumes were minimalist, the plays staged during the recently concluded Navaratri Comedy Drama Festival left a lasting impression on the audience with their content and the performance of the actors.
The first to go on stage was Gurukulam (Original Boys 95) troupe. Their play Enna Porutham showcased the advantages of the joint family system and the disadvantages of nuclear family. It had plenty of references to modern day thinking where adjustment is a word rarely heard of.
Directed by M.B. Murthy, the play detailed how modern day marriages are fixed online and the compatibility problems of an egoistic couple and the interference from parents mars the relationship. In the play, the son is unable to restrain himself from comparing his wife with his mother. In the process, he fails to understand the sentiments of his wife. Things get worse when he refuses to divulge details of a mysterious phone call from another woman. The girl discloses this to her mother who takes up the issue with the groom’s mother. This creates a rift in their relationship and drives the family to a psychiatrist for help.
If the first half was full of comedy, the second half relied heavily on the performance of Viswanathan Ramesh (the one who played Emperor Sundara Cholan in Ponniyin Selvan ). Donning the psychiatrist’s role, he gives valuable parenting tips and makes the parents and the couple realise their folly. He was the voice of the audience.
The second day’s play was ‘Kathadi’ Ramamoorthy’s Pillaiyar Pidikka . Written and directed by S.L. Naanu, the comedy dealt with the strength of the Hindu marriage system. The hero is torn between his parents, who believe in forging relationships, and the heroine who gives credence to ‘two is company and three’s crowd’. Finally the groom’s parents make the girl understand the importance of relationships through their invaluable support during difficult times.
With ‘Kathadi’ Ramamoorthy, a veteran of more than 6,000 stage performances, there was never a dull moment. He provided the much needed comic relief immediately after a gripping scene. With his sense of timing and dialogue delivery he held sway over the audience. Naanu, who donned the role of boy’s uncle, deserves a mention. Muralidharan, in the role of girl’s father, had nothing much to prove.
The third day’s play was a political satire Idhu Namma Naadu by United Visuals written by Thuglaq Sathya. The play documented the hero’s journey from ‘platform to Parliament’. It also slammed the present day politicians and the rampant corruption in the society.
‘TV’ Varadharajen was at ease playing the role of Pattabhi, the hero of the play. His witty remarks evoked instant laughter. The use of words ‘high command’ and ‘pepper spray’ immediately had an audience connect. Idhu Namma Naadu is a bold attempt to conceive a political theatre without being moralistic. Using satire as its main vehicle the play exposed the anti-people design of the present day politicians.
“We all know today’s politics is full of drama, but our play is full of politics,” says Varadharajen.
