Beat the boredom; break the monotony of nagging power cuts, sweltering heat and torturous exams. Take time to relax, rewind, rejuvenate and recharge. The Hindu Kodai Nadaga Thiruvizha did just that. The three-day theatre festival started off in a colourful way at Thevar Hall.
The festival was inaugurated by S.Raghunathan, DGM, Karur Vysya Bank, and Uma Arun, academic director, Pavendar Bharathidasan Institutions, by lighting the traditional lamp.
Chocolate Krishna
Crazy Mohan’s troupe Crazy Creations presented the first of the three plays titled Chocolate Krishna. The title itself was enticing and lived up to the expectations of the audience.
The play tells us about human nature where in times of crisis man would want to escape, ditching even the Almighty.
The hilarious sequences where Lord Krishna takes a vacation and comes to His devotee’s house were well crafted.
There was a touch of everything in the play – comedy and magic. The audience had a gala time gobbling up the comic sequences like dollops of ice cream.
Alwhaa
On the second day, the audience was treated to a breezy comedy play by S.Ve.Shekher’s troupe Natakhapriya’s Alwhaa. The dialogues were by Venkat.
The slapstick comedy and the political innuendos were well appreciated and applauded. After the play S.Ve.Shekher addressed the viewers for a few minutes.
He said that his plays just make people laugh – there is no advice or message in them.
But in these days when people have forgotten even to smile, making them laugh is a yeomen service to mankind.
He is a person who has produced 24 plays, and is to be awarded in the U.S. for having staged 5,500 shows. He spoke on the importance of blood donation, eye donation, and other charitable activities.
His speech revealed his true mettle as a socially conscientious person.
Shakthi
On the final day, Maham Enterprises Madhuvanthi Arun’s Shakthi was staged. True to the title the play depicted the power of a visually challenged woman.
The crime thriller, set in 1970s, had all the ingredients to keep the audience glued to their seats.
Modern technicalities
The usage of modern technicalities like wireless microphones and collar mikes gave the artistes more freedom to move about and perform naturally. The revolving set needs special mention.
The household articles used on the set were carefully chosen to be contemporary to that period. This play is Madhuvanthi’s directorial debut, under the able supervision of her father Y.G.Mahendran, and she has started off with a natural flair – after all, theatre is her legacy. At the end of the programme, she donated a cheque to an NGO.
Thanks to The Hindu
Crazy Mohan, S.Ve. Sheker and Madhuvanthi Arun, at the end of their plays, profusely thanked The Hindu for promoting Tamil theatre and made a fervent appeal to the audience to render valuable support to revive theatre.
