Varied themes, unusual issues
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
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Kartik Fine Arts' summer drama festival was held recently. A look at two of the plays.
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Photo: Deepti Shyamsundar.
SENSITIVE: Uravugalukku Appal
Much to the delight of Tamil theatre buffs, the recently conducted Kartik Fine Arts' summer drama festival had a new venue this year. The air-conditioned auditorium of the Narada Gana Sabha proved a pleasant change for those who sweated it out for long years at the old hall in Mylapore.
The change of venue appeared to have made a difference to more than physical comfort. The quality of the plays seemed to have improved. The five plays (out of nine) in the competition section which this critic saw had varied themes and dealt with issues other than the usual familial ones.
With its mellow autumnal shades, `Uravugalukku Appaal' presented by Gurukulam, showed that it is possible for the mainstream to put up a work that is both sensitive and subtle. The theme of friendship in the twilight years that gives without expecting anything in return (story and dialogue: S. Gowrishankar) struck the right balance between the old and the new, and was shorn of melodrama. Seasoned acting by the lead players and the commitment of the supporting actors helped convey the message well.
Emphasis on dignity
`Uravugalukku Appaal' emphasised the dignity and grace that can distinguish a life well lived, whether one is single or married. Never shifting from the setting of a living room in an apartment block, it managed to take the viewer through the various phases in the elderly protagonists' lives.
The well-crafted dialogue moved the characters through time and space and voiced their dilemmas and emotions.
The play also sought to present the macrocosm of the politics of the outside world through the petty power struggles within the residents' welfare association. And the greed and the materialism of the world of finance through a minor character to whom money is all-important.
It showed the tender moments sans romance of two single individuals, a retired professor (Malathi Sampath) and a senior citizen (Viswanathan Ramesh) who have led almost parallel lives, supporting their family and thus letting the matrimonial bus pass them by.
`Solakattu Bommaigal'.
They come together by chance and strike up a friendship. The midnight scene where they both narrate and relive their not-so-eventful past is the highlight of the play. It was a realistic depiction and therein lay its appeal.
The Madurai lingo and his habit of underplaying his emotions was sustained by Viswanathan Ramesh though his recalling of his sister-in-law's death was slightly overacted. As the sensible, independent woman whose sense of security is shaken by a single incident, Malathi Sampath played her role with understanding.
The supporting characters too were drawn well — the nephew (Melattur Natarajan) of the old man, the affectionate sister of the professor (R. Jayanthi), her mammon-worshipping husband (V.P.S Sriraman), and the dwellers of the flats.
The live music was soft and mellow. The play needed more rehearsals, however, as the actors including the main ones, stumbled over their lines often. The play had been directed well by Madhava Bhuvaraha Murthy, a touch of humour being introduced through a minor character played by him.
In contrast to the seasoned acting in `Uravugalukku...' were the highly gauche performances in Anna University Cultural troupe's `Solakattu Bommaigal' written by G. Shivakumar. The manner of dialogue delivery and the hand gestures of some of the actors showed a lack of histrionic experience. But the rather clichéd plot was sketched in a manner that held attention.
An unscrupulous landlord tries to exploit a former resident of the village by coercing her to sell her land. Years earlier he had tried to implicate her husband, the honest temple priest, in a theft. This results in the priest fleeing the village, abandoning his wife and child.
The actor playing his wife began with an unsure performance with artificial gesticulations. But she picked up steam slowly and had the last word.
he actor who took on the part of the maid-cum-business partner was far from natural though she tried hard to play her role with gusto and was able to sustain the lingo.
The script was neatly executed in `Solakaatu Bommaigal,' which centred around the price paid when one falls prey to fear.
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