There’s a certain charm when a joke is conveyed in one’s local language that English cannot achieve. Cheeky one-liners, the way a word is stretched for a hilariously risqué effect… Aayirathiyoru Iravugal , the first Tamil play of The Hindu Theatre Fest 2016, established the fact that, to a Chennai audience, Tamil is Tamil. We bought tickets for a play, but it felt more like a well-made masala movie. Vinodhini Vaidynathan, the director, promised an evening high on absurdist humour, and she delivered!
There was dance, live music, and plenty of laughs as Theatre Zero served up a potent mix of the Arabian Nights , Tenali Rama and other stories. So, you had Krishnadevaraya falling for Queen Scheherazade, even as she staves off certain death at the hands of her husband Shahryar, and a Caliph from before Shahryar’s time joins the fun on stage.
The first few frames — they were more than just scenes from a play — were high on raunchiness. But that set the stage for the King’s anger that turns unreasonable, as he sets out killing hundreds of his wives before he weds Scheherazade, the story weaver. The play featured some excellent performances by a cast that took on multiple roles and performed without a break for 90 minutes in a highly physical play. Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli, who played the Queen, was all grace as she flitted about the stage playing temptress, storyteller, ghost and dancer. Amit Singh as the tyrant king was spot-on. Bhargav (Tenali Rama) was a riot, as he used laddoos to keep track of the number of nights of storytelling.
One of the scenes that stood out was an interpretation of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’. Actor Alexander Babu played out the entire sequence ingeniously — one moment he was the leader and the next, he was all forty bumbling thieves who spoke in Madras Tamil. The mono-act received thunderous applause. They improvised to make up for lapses on stage, such as a non-working mic and so on.
Then there was a sequence that parodied the popular reality show Neeya Naana . The blazer-clad anchor who says the same thing in various ways for extra effect, the high-brow way he deals with topics… it was a laugh-riot. Even Kamal Haasan was not spared. There was a character called K Hassan, er, Ku Hassan, actually.
Serious issues were slipped in casually — a character, for instance, tries to kill himself by consuming a popular aerated drink, for “it’s as good as poison”. The live music and dance added to the movie-like effect. The play did slacken in between, but the gags came at you so fast that you did not have the time to think much about it.
The props too did not disappoint: mops turned into horses (one named Milind Soman), oil cans turned into a magic lamp, and a laundry basket into a well! The team just used some props of minarets to recreate Baghdad of yore. This was a play where the actors owned the stage, and owned it well. Vinodhini had said her intent was to question gender roles and that she did, when Scheherazade finally manages to sleep in peace, as Shahryar meows in agitation, having been turned into a cat.
For a play that had at its core a master-storyteller and the world she creates, Aayirathiyoru Iravugal won hands down for the way the story, and the stories within the story, were narrated. There was utter chaos during certain scenes, but the audience were too busy laughing to notice anything. All in all, it was a stand-out Tamil play, in more ways than one.
The Hindu Theatre Fest 2016
The Title Sponsor of the event is YES BANK. The Associate Sponsors are Kauvery Hospital, Hindustan International School and Telangana Tourism. The Hospitality Partner is Taj Coromandel. The Mall Partner is Phoenix Market City (Chennai). The Mobility Partner is Ola. The gift partner is Terra Earthfood. The Radio Partner is Radio City 91.1. The Merchandise Partner is Focus Art Gallery and the Event Manager is evam.
