Citizen Reviews: Tragi-comic reflection of life

This play, directed by Rajiv Krishnan, appealed to the audience for good acting as much as for the innovative use of props

August 10, 2011 06:39 pm | Updated August 10, 2016 01:14 pm IST

A scene from ' Ms.Meena' by Perch at the ' The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest Photo: K. Ananthan

A scene from ' Ms.Meena' by Perch at the ' The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest Photo: K. Ananthan

The last laugh

I commend Rajiv Krishnan for directing a woman-centric play. A tale of young love and betrayal, grief and abandonment, opportunity and success, return and revenge. Ms. Meena, hailing from the lowly village of Pichampuram, brought a familiar blend of pan-Indian masala. Filming the life story of Asha (former Ms. Meena) with the villagers as the cast, in a final move to seek justice was a nice touch.

It was refreshing to see the original use of the same props to paint different village scenes. Seamless, it seemed, the switch of moods and scenes from reel to real and vice-versa.

The sheep mentality of the villagers, irrespective of time and bordering on opportunity was noteworthy. The bitter irony was not lost, rather immortalised in the statue of the man who betrayed the heroine. When I look back, I can still almost hear the echo of Ms. Meena's evil laughter…

Hoping that MPTF brings more creative thinking and joy next year too!

Susan Paul Mathew

Kadavanthra, Kochi

Out-of-the-box

Simple clothes, simple music and simple properties communicated the story of the simple people of Pichampuram. Despite the theme of revenge, greed and moral bankruptcy, Ms. Meena was hilarious and surreal. Hats off to the script.

The performance of the entire cast was simply exceptional! The cast themselves transformed props that were day to day utilities like brooms, shawls and even a roll of colourless plastic to waterfalls, train and even the idol of Lord Ganesha!

It was a bolt from the blue when one realised that the cast themselves created the background score, even playing musical instruments in between. The energy of the cast and their ability to think ‘out of the box' made Ms. Meena the best weekend entertainer!

Chinnu Jimmy

Vazhakkala,

Kochi

Move over, movies!

Usually what stays with us most after a theatre experience is the drama, performances, thought provoking lines or story. Ms.Meena did give me all this. And much more. The play was a fun filled journey bursting with ingenuity and surprises par excellence.

The stage was transformed into a village, a train, a Ganesha temple, a scenic waterfall, a cinema studio – all in the blink of an eye! Add to that the amazing sound effects created by the actors themselves. A dark comedy so beautifully woven that you can't help but sympathise with both the lady and the man who betrayed her. Thank you, Ms.Meena, I definitely am a few years younger today, thanks to all the laughter and glee.

Pavana Prasad

Ravipuram, Kochi

Superb

Ms. Meena came, saw and conquered not only the people of Pichampuram, but the whole jam-packed Kerala Fine Arts Hall audience. There was never a dull moment in the entire 100 minutes or so of the play. One could only gape at the amazingly inventive use of props – the bus scene and the temple with deity stood out.

Not to forget the stellar acting and superb songs though. The movie moves within the play, poked fun at the ‘reel life' situations behind cinema scenes. While everyone in the cast performed effortlessly and handled their multiple-roles with élan, the actors playing Ms. Meena, Ravi, Kalyani and Madan looked exquisitely accomplished on stage. The finale with Ravi's statuesque stance accompanied by a live song by an actor was simply haunting. Thanks a ton to The Hindu for bringing people back to the theatre in the age of aging movie superstars.

Harikumar K.V.

Udyogamandal, Kochi

Spoof

If you prefer movies to plays because they are more colourful and fun with their song-dance sequences, you'll change your mind after watching ‘Ms Meena'. This play is a tribute to popular cinema and has several snide references to Hindi and Tamil movies of the 70s and 80s. The story starts with the impoverished village of ‘Pichampuram' preparing a welcome song (in four languages!) to the superstar “Ms Meena” who was one of their own 20 years ago and who is returning to the village to shoot her final film there.

What stands out in the play is the interesting use of props.

You don't notice the hackneyed plot much because you are always entertained with the other goings-on.

Subhash Gopalakrishnan

Kochi

Meet Ms.Meena

Ms. Meena is a delightfully refreshing dig on how cinema (specifically, south Indian cinema) transcends into something more than just a source of entertainment or a platform for expression of ideas. Cinema, synonymous with superstardom, is something that has a profound effect on the daily lives and thoughts of the naïve inhabitants of Peechampuram. The play reveals the sometimes ruthlessly patriarchal nature of society in rural India and the superstar-effect on its people. It's a satirical and realistic depiction of rural south India. The only curious contradiction is that the superstar in the play, unlike in reality, is a woman.

Ribu M Jacob

Kakkanad

Complete package

Brilliant! That's one word to describe Ms. Meena. The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest Romance, comedy, drama, action, music and dance numbers, a complete entertainment package.

While a movie takes months to complete, everything unfolds here flawlessly in a single take of 100 minutes flat.

What's mind blowing is the extremely clever use of props – the cycle pump which transformes from a microphone to a perfume bottle, an idol of Lord Ganesha created out of a couple of brooms and a window frame and a curtain! Each of the cast, who played more than one characterdi it so effortlessly! Also admirable was their command over many languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, even Malayalam.

They even took care of the background score and the sound effects, while they were in the act. True multi-taskers. For someone who's new to theatre, all I can say is, I can't wait for more!

George Thomas Valooran

Kakkanad, Kochi

Kudos to props too!

Scripted by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan and directed by Rajiv Krishnan, Ms. Meena was enjoyable. The creative use of props like brooms, baskets , the skeleton of a suitcase, and rich sound effects produced by the actors – clucking, muttering, tinkling, temple chants... were wonderful.

The waterfall scene was amazing with a cascade of bubblewrap and sieves tossed in for stepping stones. A steel bucket easily became a camera and later doubled up as the head of a cow!

The actors were equally agile creating the disturbed village of Pichampuram visited by glamour queen and Nemesis, Ms. Meena. The helicopter, bus, railway station, fan following and cinema posters were amazingly lifelike. Karuna Amarnath excelled as Ms Meena, Anitha Santhanam as Teacheramma and Anish Victor as Ravi. It was inspired direction by Rajiv Krishnan, though at times one wondered if the props were coming alive and running away with the play.

Talitha Mathew,

Fort Kochi

Amazing

Most likely this one sentence sums up the experience that was Ms.Meena: The best was saved for the last. Considering how great the other two plays were this should give one an idea of how amazing an evening it was for us viewers.

The innovative use of props is what comes to mind first, the beautiful singing and dancing by the artistes shows us what a creative process theatre is. Everyone on stage was simply brilliant be it Ms.Meena, Ravi, the constable, the MLA ,the teacher, the student… Kudos to The Hindu and Perch for gifting us such a beautiful evening.

Sandhya.

Panampilly Nagar.

Gem in the crown

Spectacular, marvellous, a gem in the crown of Metro Plus Theatre Fest…..I could go on and on describing Ms.Meena (like the MLA Thambidorai in the play!). The energy packed performance was truly a visual treat. Throughout the play, I was awed by the myriad uses the actors came up with the house hold props. Versatility was the USP of Ms. Meena. The line dividing reel, real and stage thinned as the play progressed. The well scripted and beautifully enacted satire with its foot tapping music took you to the golden days of Indian Cinema. Ms. Meena was undoubtedly romance, action, comedy and tragedy rolled into one. It was a vibrant close to MPTF. Cheers to The Hindu Metro Plus for opening new vistas of entertainment through the three-day Theatre Fest.

Arun Thomas, Kochi

Ms. Meena fan

The play was a perfect blend of rhythm and colour and the multi language script only added to the charm. The journey to Peechampuram had a slow take off, but was an exhilarating ride and when it drew to a close you didn't have the heart to say goodbye.

Hats off to MetroPlus for hosting an event that showcased exceptional talent.

Anila Mathew V.

Kaloor

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