Eyes, they say, are the doorways to the heart where love resides but if these doorways pave the way for malevolence in mindset, it is better these doorways remain shut for good. This premise structures the bottomline of the plot for Gollapudi Maruthirao’s playlet Kallu ( Eyes). This intensely emotive narrative found an engaging expression in its recent performance at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. Penned way back in 1969, this thought-provoking work continues to goad sensible minds to ponder over dark hues in human thought that lie beneath the ostensible soft countenance. The thread revolves around a group of five blind vagrants unfolding flipside of society in a stark realistic scenario. Of these Peddiah is an elderly man and good looking Sita, aggressive Rangadu, Rajigadu and Karim are the other in the group. They live together sharing a strong bond of love and affection. These unfortunate five keep their earnings with Simhachalam, a petty hawker of bread.
The play opens with a priest awaiting Sita, who regularly brings flowers for daily Vedic procedures in worship at the temple. On her coming late with her bowl brimming with coins, he sarcastically remarks that fortune seems good with her and suggests visiting an expert ophthalmologist who came to the town and try if she could get vision. Being unable to afford the treatment for all, the group decides it is better if one of them gets sight and chooses Rangadu for this.
Rangadu gets sight and learns how they are being cheated by all around including the priest and Simhachalam. But tempted by the lure of easy money, Rangadu starts cheating his companions and exploits their handicap to the hilt.. Though they understand his deceit they continue to put up with him. Ungrateful Rangadu even ogles Sita and tries to molest her. In a bid to escape from his brutal advances she runs into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple t and Rangadu follows her. In the course of scuffle, he falls upon the trident there that pierces his eyes. Thus Rangadu again turns blind. The group forgives him but a resuscitated Rangadu seeks to go away saying he does not deserve their forgiveness. Packed with terse and pithy dialogues, the taut treatment of the narrative combined with good histrionics ensured riveting theatrical performances.
V Sangameswarao, who directed the play, donned the role of Rangadu well displaying emotional variants of expression in different scenes, PN V Satyanarayana (Peddiah), Allu Ramesh (Rajigadu), V Babuji (Kareem) B Siva (Simhachalam), VSN Reddy (Pujaari) D Jyalakshmi (Sita) and others lived their characters. Earlier, mimicry artiste Dr Anthony Raj, who has done his Ph.D on this art form, was warmly felicitated. Rangasai Nataka Sangham hosted the event and its founder Badamgir Sai said it would soon stage this playlet every day for 30 days in the city.
