The story of veteran theatre personality Vikraman Nair who passed away on Monday, the World Theatre Day, is closely knit with the story of theatre in Kozhikode.
A contemporary of noted theatre personalities such as K.T. Mohammed, Balan K. Nair, Nellikkode Bhaskaran, and Kuthiravattam Pappu, Nair is known for his contribution as an actor, director, and producer. He was one of the theatre personalities who proved that one could make a living out of theatre, without struggling.
Vikraman Nair
A native of Mannarkkad in Palakkad district, he shifted to Kozhikode during his school days, and it was an appearance in a school play while studying at St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School that marked the beginning of Nair’s theatre career. He forsake various jobs across the country only to return to his calling.
His professional career began with Raja Theatres in Kozhikode. He played the role of Kuttiali Marakkar in Thikkodiyan’s Kunhali Marakkar. T. Damodaran’s Udanja Vigrahangal, half a dozen plays by K.T. Mohammed and P.M. Taj’s Agraharam were some of the plays in which Nair appeared on stage. He also played the lead role in Gopura Nadayil, the only play written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair.
He has been part of the group that formed Sangamam theatres and later founded Stage India which marked the peak of Nair’s career. He penned and directed Soothram, the first play under the Stage India banner.
At one stage, he made enough money to invest in another business and ultimately lost it all. Frustrated at his plight, he sold off all his awards and trophies for a mere ₹6,000. However, he later bounced back. Soon he found roles in cinema and recently in television serials. He was to travel to Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday to be part of a television serial when he passed away.
He has bagged several State awards for his performance and even the S.L. Puram Sadanandan Award, the ultimate State honour for any theatre personality in Kerala.
Nair is survived by wife Lakshmi Devi and daughters Durga and Saraswathi. His body will be kept at the Kozhikode Town Hall on Wednesday morning for the public to pay homage.
