Athletics and drama are an unlikely combination; but for M. George, who was regional champion in long and short jump, it was drama that won in the end. “Unlike sport, theatre can be done at any age,” says the veteran playwright and director who has over 30 Tamil plays to his credit, and still writes his stories by hand.
Associated with Tiruchi’s Rasika Ranjana Sabha as its official director for 40 years, George’s most recent production was the mythological Pandavi that was staged as part of the Sabha’s centenary celebrations in December. Though it had been staged earlier, what made the 2015 outing significant was the use of an all-female cast of amateur actors, from the Shrimati Indira Gandhi College for Women.
“The girls portrayed the male characters so realistically that few could believe they were young women, and that too, amateurs!” exclaims Mr. George.
A script every year
Asking Mr. George about his early work during a chat with the cast and staff co-ordinators of Pandavi in attendance at the Shrimati Indira Gandhi College campus unspools many memories, many of which would themselves make the backdrop for a great play.
A staff member with over 40 years’ service in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (formerly known as Post and Telegraph Department), Mr. George’s introduction to theatre was accidental. “I used to be the Sports Secretary at BSNL, and in 1970, while organising a sports programme for the department, our manager asked me to stage a play as well. I agreed, even though I didn’t have a script in hand.”
Embittered by the experience of running behind a playwright and having to pay out of his own pocket for the script (the event had a budget of Rs. 500), Mr. George felt brave enough to script his own play the following year, titled ‘Thazhumbu.’
“I haven’t looked back since, and come up with a script every year,” says Mr. George. “I usually focus on social themes, and inter-personal relationships. Something that families can enjoy watching together.”
Pandavi, too, has a familial theme woven into its Mahabharata roots, as it imagines a scenario where the filial love of the five Pandavas for their mother Kunti Devi after the end of the Kurukshetra war is tested by Lord Krishna.
“Pandavi tells the younger generation to respect parents, but it also asks parents to know when to maintain a distance from their children,” says Mr. George, whose 1977 play Rathidevi Vanthal has been staged at least 200 times in the R.R. Sabha.
Act II
Balancing a career in dramatics and a regular office was never a problem for Mr. George, who joined as a telephone operator and was the chief telephone officer when he retired four years ago.
“I used to come to stage after office hours, so both the routines stayed separate,” he says. “My earliest inspiration would perhaps be my father Maria Joseph, who is said to have acted with M.K. Thyagaraja Bahavathar and M. R. Radha in comedy roles. I learned all about comic timing and humorous dialogue from him.”
He leads a full-time drama troupe of 20-25 members, and to keep things interesting for a younger audience, has branched into sound-and-light shows that split the stage into three levels and combine multimedia visuals with real-time acting.
Mr. George’s brother Prakash is also a collaborator in his creative pursuits. Besides the Sabha, Mr. George has been involved in productions for the Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts and has written audio plays for All India Radio, Tiruchi.
“My greatest supporters were my old office colleagues at BSNL. Then L. Venkatraman, former secretary of R.R. Sabha was like a mentor to me. It was Fr. Msgr. S.M. George, the founder of Kalai Kaviri, who taught me that you can convey a message in a crisp two-minute format too. Those are the experiences that help me now. I keep writing. I buy a ream of paper once in 2 months.”
Moulding clay
Working with amateurs has been a learning experience, says Mr. George. “The students are like raw clay – they can be moulded in any way, unlike professional artistes who are beyond change,” he says. “But perhaps I wouldn’t have had to work so hard on a professional team because they would already know the basics of stagecraft. The students, on the other hand, while good in memorising their lines, had to be taught voice modulation and stage presence.”
The best of plays can fall flat if they are not well-rehearsed, says the director, who made the Pandavi cast practise at least 15 times before the final show. “With the Sabha management having spent Rs. 2 lakhs on new sets and props specifically for the play, I felt we should also put in an extra effort to make it successful,” says Mr. George.
Having been a judge on many collegiate competitions, Mr. George lauds the initiative of students who come up with creative ideas with limited resources. “But the creativity stops after the competition. Then concerns over their studies and future take over. If drama students could be helped to use their talent at a later stage, it would be good,” he says.
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Taking centre stage
Pandavi’s most recent showing may have ended last year, but the all-women troupe from Shrimati Indira Gandhi College that starred in the mythological play is still feeling the buzz of being centre stage. “We all became stars overnight,” says K. Vinodhini, the IInd year B.Sc Maths student who played Lord Krishna. “I can recite my lines perfectly even in my sleep,” she adds in a conversation that breaks out into giggles quite often.
Based on a magazine article that imagines a post-war scenario in the life of the Pandavas, it took Mr. George six months to research the idea and bring it to stage.
“The play was criticised for being a little long, but that was because I didn’t want to edit the scenes that these children had worked so hard for,” says Mr. George.
“I learned how tough a mother’s role is in real life too,” says R. Mohanapriya, IInd year English Literature student who portrayed Kunti Devi. “This is my first time on stage, and being asked to play a mother was a tough call. Kunti Devi loves all her sons equally, even though each child feels he has the upper hand.”
For Sudha Rani, Ist year M.Com student, playing a comic sidekick to Bheema was enjoyable. “I didn’t find it too difficult, though comedy is usually tougher than other acting,” she says.
Vaidehi, IInd year M.Com., who played Sahadevan, is glad that her portrayal was appreciated by the audience. “I’m more used to longer roles, but this one was lauded. The play taught me that adjustment and tolerance are important to a happy life.”
