Boxing icon Muhammad Ali stings like a bee in the boxing ring. But he is an embodiment of compassion and love outside the ring.
The life story of the legend, also known for his progressive political stances embracing humanity, is being brought to the Malayalam stage by theatre activist K. Madan Kumar, aka Madan Babu.
The play, Ali-Ringinappuram , scripted by him and directed by P.P. Joy, will be staged by the Ernakulam-based artistes’ collective Centre for Contemporary Art in a month or so.
“Ali has always been a passion for people. Paradoxically, the feisty boxer is known also for his humanitarian deeds. This is what attracted me to him,” says Madan, an Under Secretary in the Finance Department.
Ali’s life has been material for several films and books worldwide, but his rhythmic movement in the ring and poetic utterances possess scope for fascinating the limericks and the pulse of India’s working class. Ali’s humanitarianism, popularity and fighting spirit offer pithy material for theatre, Madan says.
Sheril, a native of Malappuram, appears as Ali in the play and has been professionally trained in boxing for the role.
The play depicts Ali along with some 15 people who played a key role in his life and political thought.
Noted theatre activist Samkutty Pattamkari handles the play’s art direction. There’s a mix of boxing bouts and rap music peppering the length of the play for which music has been done by Chandran Vayyattummel.
Madan, who has earlier written Mask and Second Hand , an adaptation of a story by that name by Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, has also acted in several plays like Pattabakki , Abhayardhikal , Karnabharam , Balcony and Lankalakshmi , winning accolades as an actor nationally.
He donned the greasepaint for a few films and commercials, too. He was associated with Lokadharmi for nearly a decade as its secretary and has been festival book editor for the P.J. Antony Memorial Foundation’s street theatre festival Theruvarangu.
Madan says that the political positions of Ali are more important now than before.
“First, we live in times when a community falls victim to accusations of terror. Second, there’s the eerie and opportunistic silence of the intelligentsia towards the injustice propagated by those in power. Why Ali is relevant now is because of his stances. He stood against Islamic terrorism and embraced Sufism and also took a strong stance against the American government’s unjust war on Vietnam.”
