The touring Summer Theatre Festival organised by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre staged some of the best plays produced in Kerala in recent times.
The three-day festival in Kochi began with ‘Sidhartha,' the theatre adaptation of the classic novel by Nobel laureate Herman Hesse. The play's highlight was its brilliant direction by M.G. Jyothish (an alumni of School of Drama) and sterling act by D. Raghuthaman in the main role of Sidhartha.
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‘Sidhartha' is about a man's quest for the ultimate truth. Jyothish has aesthetically and evocatively handled the story of the novel through telling visuals while Raghuthaman has skilfully depicted the trauma and emotions the character undergo with his intense acting. Sreenivas (Vasudeva), Baiju Konni (Govinda), Anil (Kamaswamy) and Annapoorna (Kamala) were the other prominent actors of the play. Each played his or her part well. Music and lighting were exceptionally good.
On the second day, ‘Palangal' (Bridges), penned by Dr. Ayyappa Panicker, was staged.
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The satire is a scathing take on the pervasive corruption that we find in all walks of life today. The story is centred on the corruption involved in the construction of a bridge. Directed by D. Raghuthaman, the play was well received by the spectators. The cast included M.G.Jyothish (Adhikari), Munshi Baiju (Gunda), V. Venu (contractor) and Krishnan Nair (Vridhan).
‘Sakharam Binder,' written by legendary playwright Vijay Tendulkar, was the third play that was staged. This play has become one of the classics of modern Indian theatre. It ran into controversy soon after its premiere and it was banned for some time. The Malayalam adaptation of this Marathi play stayed true to the original story and portrayed the tale of the tyrannical Sakharam Binder and his strange relationship with women.
Destitute and homeless women are his prey. Sakharam would bring home the hapless women and enslave them. Each woman is told she is free to walk out of his house. However, eventually, the arrangement goes awry when Lakshmi and Champa, two of the women in his strange household, confront each other.
Complex role
Versatile actor Gopalan brilliantly enacted the difficult and complex role of Sakharam. Hima (as Champa) complemented Sakharam. (Lakshmi), Sreenivas (Dawood) and Venu (Shinde) were the other actors. Director Jyothish succeeded in bringing out the best in his actors and in highlighting the intense emotional terrain of the play.
The fete now moves on to Kozhikode, Thrissur, Payyanur, Kasargod, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.