The Malayalam plays staged at the 12th edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala have made a presence with their strong stance on contemporary socio-political issues and stunning performances.
All the six plays – Chillara Samaram, Veendum Bhagavante Maranam, Cherala Charitham, Bhaskara Pattelarum Thommiyude Jeevithavam, Old Man and Sea, and Bombay Sketches – were performed in front of packed audiences and received critical acclaim.
Chillara Samaram, directed by Arun Lal, deals with anti-human development programmes and their toll on the common man and their livelihood. Accompanied by the performance of a young team, the play, told in a satirical and hilarious language, says the challenges posed by capitalist development policies are not that simple.
Veendum Bhagavante Maranam, directed by Hazim Amaravila, is a dramatic adaptation of K.R. Meera’s short story. It depicts the problems faced by a theatre group when it tried to dramatise Meera’s story written as a reaction to the assassination of noted writer Kalburgi.
Cherala Charitham is the independent dramatisation of Vinoy Thomas’s novel Karikkottakkari. The play, directed by K.V. Sajith, tells the story of converted Dalit Christians as they flee from South to North. It also delves into the history of Kerala, and how Cheralam, the land of Cherans, became Keralam.
Bhaskara Pattelarum Thommiyude Jeevithavam, directed by Suveeran, is a play based on a novel written by Paul Zacharia. It tells about the story of an obedient slave Thommy, a Christian migrant worker, and his aggressive tyrannical master Baskara Pattelar.
Life’s struggles
Old Man and Sea, based on Ernest Hemingway’s famous novel and directed by Sasidharan Naduvil, is a story of a poor and unlucky old Cuban fisherman Santiago who knows that only a person with willpower and determination can become a warrior. Santiago’s struggle depicts the act of living with hope and never-ending enthusiasm. It becomes the struggle of the oppressed.
Bombay Sketches, directed by Prasant Narayanan, tells about the transformation of old Bombay to the new metro city and the untold pains and frozen tears of people who went to oblivion during this transformation. It talks about the story of the downtrodden and those who lost their shelters.
