The day that saw some good ‘desi’ theatre

Two plays from Kerala and one from Maharashtra staged on Day 3 of ITFoK

A scene From Kaali Nadakam (India Drama) staged in IToK in Thrissur on Wednesday

It was a day for national theatre performances at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala here on Wednesday.

Three plays, Kaali Nadakam by Lokadharmai, Kochi; Theeyoor Rekhakal by Natakappura, Thrissur; and Talva by Lokjagrithi, Maharashtra; were performed at the festival.

Kaali Nadakam begins at a temple in the ambience of a festival. An entire village is gearing up for the ritualistic Kaali Nadakam, which is being organised after more than half a century. The ritual was stopped then as the actor playing Kaali killed the actor playing Darikan, the demon king.

Fifty-one years later, the ambience has changed, as also the hype associated with the festival. Things take an unusual turn when what happened in the past is repeated in the present performance — Kaali, played by a woman belonging to a lowly caste, kills Rama Kurup, who plays Darikan.

The devotees see the incident as Goddess Kaali restoring justice to the world, the police see in this an act of crime and for the media, it is a moment for sensational reporting.

“Goddess is brought down from the elevated pedestal to the earthy materiality to render justice. This demanded a new and unique structure for the play. Hence, elements from ritual performances like Kaliyoottu and Mudiyettu are adapted, while keeping the acting styles and narrative subtext very realistic,” says director Chandradasan.

The play is written by Sajitha Madathil.

Theeyoor, a village in Kerala, witnesses 14 suicides and four man-missing cases in a span of two months. The play, Theeyoor Rekhakal makes an enquiry into the background of these phenomena.

Directed by Narippatta Raju, the play is based on the original text by N. Prabhakaran.

“ Theeyoor Rekhakal tells the story of the village that becomes the microcosm for the world that we live in. It tells of the loss of humanity and the erosion of a positive outlook that slowly engulfed our society in the post-Independence period. This is one of the most verbal plays I have made so far,” says Narippatta Raju.

Talva , a Marathi play directed by Sangeetha Tiple, tells the story of Baliram and Subhadra who are trapped in poverty and untouchability.