Filmmaker takes on big pharma

Jayatheertha and his young team push for affordable generic drugs.

Performers stage a street play at Lalbagh in Bengaluru to promote awareness on the ill-effects of increasing corporatisation of the healthcare industry.

: People jogging and walking in Lalbagh were in for a surprise last weekend, when they saw a group of youngsters trying to draw their attention by beating tamate (folk drums). Dressed in black and wearing red headbands, they soon started a performance.

Three narrators, who occupied centre stage, spoke about commercialisation of healthcare and taking over of the medical industry by multinational corporations.

The man behind this mission is Jayatheertha, who has directed three successful Kannada films and has now taken to street theatre to spread the message of the dangers of commercialisation of healthcare.

The play is titled Medical Mafia .

“The MNC lobby constantly undermines the government’s efforts at making generic versions of drugs available at affordable prices,” says Mr. Jayatheertha, director of films like Olave Mandara, Tony and Bullet Basya. He is now gearing up for his next production Beautiful Manasugalu .

His street play is staged by 24 students of Abhinaya Taranga, a theatre school of which he is alumnus.

He has directed about 150 plays, besides acting in hundreds of them.

Mr. Jayatheertha says he chose the medium of theatre over films because the latter comes with “too many commercial limitations”.

Personal story

He says that the treatment meted out to his mother at a corporate hospital in Bengaluru, when she was taken there for a fibroid surgery, spurred him to spread the message against corporatisation of healthcare.

“The response to the play was encouraging, though some objected to the way we have projected the doctors. But we reasoned with them that we do acknowledge the services of doctors who still consider treating patients a service,” he said.

The director hopes to stage the play at more venues.

Mr. Jayatheertha says he is ready to direct the play with volunteers from non-governmental organisations.

“I am also planning to approach Health Minister U.T. Khader with a proposal to create an awareness among the people on this serious issue,” he said.

When contacted, Mr. Khader said the department was open to discussing the project with the director.