Sreekanth’s tryst with success reads like a fairytale. The college dropout would have never dreamt that his life would be spent on the stage or rather behind the scenes, as a leading light designer with events across India and abroad. Theatre productions, live dance and music shows, television programmes, big budget weddings… his itinerary is packed. MetroPlus caught up with him when he came to his home, at Cheruvikkal near Sreekariyam in the capital city, to take a break from his grinding schedule.
“Things just fell in place, that’s all,” that’s how he sums up his eventful evolution as one of the leading lights of his profession. It was his passion for theatre that eventually landed him in the city-based Abhinaya theatre group as an actor. But more than the nuances of acting, he was attracted by technical aspects such as lighting and stage design.
“Raghu chettan [D. Reghoothaman, co-founder of Abhinaya] realised where my interests lay and though light design was not given much importance in those days, he permitted me to experiment with lights. We worked within our limits and presented neat productions. The best part was that he allowed me to work in the productions of other theatre groups, such as those of Kavalam Narayana Panicker, Chandrahasan, and Naripatta Raju, to name a few. The learning process continued as I worked with productions for Soorya, Dakha Sheth Dance Company and Samudra and for stage events directed by T.K. Rajeev Kumar.”
Veteran light designer V. Ramamurthy opened new vistas for him. “As I was not a trained light designer, I had to experiment on my own and wait for the result. But Ramamurthy sir changed my life. He used to do workshops on lighting all across India and I attended each of them,” he says. The bonus came in the form of his association with French light designer Remy Nicholas, who had come down to do a contemporary dance production incorporating Kalaripayattu for Prana Dance Group. The production gave him an international exposure.
Today Sreekanth is the technical director of the cultural programmes of Sangeet Natak Akademi as part of which he does light design for dance, music and theatre festivals and cultural exchange programmes organised by the Akademi across India and abroad. He also works with leading classical/contemporary dancers for their individual productions and this includes divas such as Leela Samson, Madhavi Mudgal and Kumudini Lakhia and also Birju Maharaj, Bharat Sharma, and Navtej Singh Johar.
“I can’t believe that it is the same me who couldn’t differentiate between Kuchipudi and Odissi once! Now I sit with the artiste before his/her show, discuss the intricacies of light design and do full rehearsals. I have to have a rhythm, should be accurate and be spot on. These artistes are extremely professional and don’t tolerate any laxity on our part. I have also done light design for programmes by Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Zakir Hussain,” says the 42-year-old.
He is now a visiting faculty at Kerala Kalamandalam, where he takes classes on light design for students of Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. “It was a first–of–its–kind opportunity for a light designer. Initially it was difficult to get the puritans into the groove. But I’ve been able to convince them that proper lighting can accentuate a performance and some of them have started insisting on the kind of lights they want,” he says.
Sreekanth has worked on television as well, for shows on Amrita TV, Rosebowl and Kappa TV.
Of late, he is much in demand for high profile weddings both in Kerala and in Delhi, where he is currently based.
But nothing can beat the experience of working in theatre. “My heart is in theatre, may be because I have been an actor. Though money is less, the stage excites me. A small mistake can ruin the whole performance. Now that the new directors and artistes are giving due attention to technical aspects it has its challenges. One of the gratifying works has been Abhilash Pillai’s Clown and Clouds, which had a circus as the theme. We used LEDs, moving heads, laser lights and head beams to create the effect. Now we use follow spots of different degrees to focus on just one part of the body of the character, say one eye or hand. I am very proud about the work we did for Abhinaya’s productions such as Macbeth and Sagarakanyaka .”
However, Sreekanth says that light designers have not yet got their due.
“A light designer is still a non-existent entity. Not many are aware of what we do and the technology involved, whereas in foreign countries light designers have a totally different profile. Unlike Kerala, these countries have a permanent stage to experiment/rehearse with light design. I am proud that I could bring in professionalism in the field that has a lot of opportunities. In fact, I am happy that the Kochi-based light and sound association has invited me for a talk. The future seems very bright,” he signs off.
Short takes
* Sreekanth runs Cameo in the capital city, which rents out lighting equipment for various events such as music shows, stage shows, shootings and weddings.
* He was technical in charge of the cultural events of Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in 2010 and has done light design for Prithvi Theatre Festival, Udaya Shankar Choreography Festival, Nishagandhi Dance and Music Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala and International Theatre Festival of Kerala. He has worked for festivals in Portugal, London, Austria, the Middle East, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mauritius, Peru, Cuba, Vietnam, South Africa, the United States, Canada, China, Bangkok and Indonesia.
* Sreekanth is married to Kathak dancer Monisa Nayak, who “has helped him understand the nuances of different dance forms.”
