Kalki Krishamurthy’s historical novels were avidly followed when they were serialised in Kalki in the 1950s. Ponniyin Selvan, one such historical novel, tells the story of Sundara Chola and his children, Aditya Karikalan, Arulmozhi Varman (the titular Ponniyin Selvan) and Kundavai. They are at the centre of a succession game, moves and counter-moves made at various levels.
Ponniyin Selvan is a saga of friends and foes, kings and commoners, romance and intrigue, with swashbuckling heroes, dreadful villains, shrewd spies and strong female characters. To bring a complex novel such as this to the stage is a mammoth task and to bring it outside Indian shores is even more challenging. Aside from taking care of the production logistics, funding a huge production such as this, is also a challenge as corporate sponsors are hesitant to support theatrical endeavours in regional languages. Producers SS International, the Magic Lantern troupe and Arte Compass, Singapore, managed to overcome the challenges and bring this production to Singapore.
In its first show outside of Tamil Nadu, India, as part of the Tamil Language Festival in Singapore, Ponniyin Selvan was staged at Asia’s best arts venue — the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay for three consecutive days. It was ironic that the story of Vanthiyathevan, Aditya Karikalan, Ponniyin Selvan, Kundavai and Nandini played on stage while the behemoth Baahubali 2 played on screens close by. That the play held its own is no mean feat.
As part of the Tamil Language Festival 2017, The Esplanade Theatre was just the perfect setting. This fabulous stage has witnessed many world class musicals and theatre productions in 15 years. Its magnificent height, depth, superb acoustics and lighting gave the production the gravitas it deserved. Most of the audience members were Tamils, but several, including this writer, were not familiar with the story. Initially, we were switching between the stage and the specially created English subtitles to understand what was going on. But slowly, we got drawn into the action on stage.
The Magic Lantern troupe (cast and crew of around 60) along with cast from Singapore and Malaysia under the guidance of director Pravin did full justice to the complex story. Structured as a political thriller, with romance and action thrown in, the play managed to convey the transience of kingly aspirations. The 2,400-page novel, published in five parts, had been distilled into a taut stage play, scripted with crisp dialogue by Elango Kumaravel.
Preethi Athreya as the wise Kundavai and Ilavarasan Raja as the valorous Ponniyin Selvan did full justice to their roles. Srikrishna Dayal as Vanthiyathevan was in turn playful, impish and heroic; Meera as the vengeful Nandini was aptly powerful; Preethi was perfect as the stately Kundavai. Ilavarasan made an appearance as the swashbuckling titular hero and concluded the play as the gracious prince who sacrifices his crown.
Special mention should be made of Mu. Ramaswamy as Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar and Prabhu Mani as Karikalan whose dialogue delivery was captivating. The other cast members provided splendid support, moving seamlessly in and out of stage. The denouement seemed a little rushed but then it was ten minutes short of four hours! But for an occasional stumbling over lines (such complicated ones ), the talented cast managed to pull off a near impossible task — of keeping the audience engaged throughout! Live music by the small and effective group under director Paul Jacob, drums by Sridhar and visually impaired flautist Jagan Jayabalan added to the delightful experience.
Thota Tharani’s fabulous sets, simple yet sophisticated, served as both the backdrop and the backbone of the play. The supremely agile cast climbed and jumped off the walls of the fort, indulged in real sword play, even managed to row a boat across and bring a rather fetching elephant on stage! The aesthetically designed costume (Preethi Athreya) were pleasing to the eye; being a fan of dance productions, I expected the cast to break into song and dance more often (they did oblige, albeit occasionally) to relieve the monotony of heavy dialogue!
Full credit must be given to the organisers for persevering in the face of huge challenges and succeeding in staging this beloved production of Kalki Krishnamurthy, in Singapore, where Tamil is one of the official languages. With befitting appreciation (sold out shows — 5,600 strong across three shows) and sumptuous praises heard inside the auditorium by the young and the old, ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is all set to conquer more international territories!
