The lights are dim on the stage. Gadadhar Chattopadhay is ardently praying to a life-size idol of Kali for a darshan at the Dakshineshwar temple in Kolkata. When the Goddess finally appears in front of him, Gadadhar becomes ecstatic. His emotion tugs at the audience’s heartstrings. Varsha Krishnamoorthy, who plays Gadadhar, reprises the role impeccably.
Not only Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Varsha has also donned the roles of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Maha Periyava, Ramana Maharshi and Shirdi Sai Baba. In the last decade, as part of Mahalakshmi Ladies Drama Group (MLDG founded by Bombay Gnanam), Varsha has performed more than 200 shows and has played several characters.
Varsha’s journey in theatre began during her school and college days. When in primary school, she had once scripted and directed a play on Supandi, a popular character from Tinkle comics. “I also donned the role of Supandi,” she recalls. She joined MLDG in her early twenties. MLDG has been her training ground. She picked up the nuances of the craft at rehearsal sessions. “Experience has been my best teacher,” she says.
It was during a rehearsal that she landed the main role. “I usually know the dialogues of all the characters in a play. So when we were practising for the play on Maha Periyava, Gnanam aunty was extremely impressed by my impromptu performance and asked me to play the title role.”
Varsha also owes her acting abilities to senior theatre artiste and music composer R Giridharan. “I watched him get into the skin of the character when he was dubbing for the play on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I then realised the importance of enacting while dubbing.”
Over the years, Varsha learnt how to perfect her dialogue delivery, expressions and body language. When asked about the preparation she undertakes to make her performance engaging, Varsha credits Bombay Gnanam for it. “Even though there is a voice-over for dialogues, she ensures that we memorise every line to maintain the timing and spontaneity on stage. She insisted that I do research before playing the roles of various saints. So I read books, browsed the internet and spoke to historians to get a peek into their lives.”
Talking about the bonhomie among the members of the group, Varsha says, “MLDG is like home to me. You are never anxious when working.”
After every performance, members of the audience throng the backstage to meet Varsha. She remembers how once after the play on Maha Periyava, they came to seek her blessings. “We had got prasadham from Kanchi Math, which I distributed among them.”
Varsha now shuttles between Chennai and France. She completed her MBA this year from Grenoble Ecole de Management, where she joined the theatre group. “I was the first non-French speaker to attend their audition, and promised them that I would learn the language soon. They were surprised to see me play the role of Dr John H Watson from Sherlock Holmes for the audition.”
Varsha was in Chennai early this year for a MLDG play though she had a ligament tear. “Playing the roles of various saints has had a positive impact on my life. It has helped me deal with pain and challenges,” she says.
