The stage is a mirror reflecting life’s myriad hues, and the productions at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s theatre festival are no different, with Theatre Karpanai Kudhirai’s “Tiruchiyai Meetta Sundarapandian” and Theatrekaran’s “Blackout,” both weaving together an intricate tapestry of drama, humor, and the human condition.
“Tiruchiyai Meetta Sundarapandian” delivers a stirring tale of three individuals entangled in their personal escapades. Under the direction of Vedarun Rajkumar, the play unpacks layers of their exaggerated problems. Rajbharath, playing the resilient taxi driver Sundarapandian, ferries the runaway Mohanapriya, portrayed by Subhiskha, and two additional passengers on an unexpected voyage to self-discovery. They are Peter (Navaneeth), a reporter on the hunt for a big story in Tiruchi, and Thanikachalam (Paramesh), who faces the rejection of his virtual love interest.
Each character grapples with what initially seems to be surmountable issues. Mohana simply seeks her mother’s attention; Peter can’t reconcile with his wife’s premarital romance; and Thanikachalam’s despair is over a love born and blooming online. The journey to Tiruchi becomes a turning point, where Sundarapandian, with his grounded wisdom, nudges his passengers towards resolutions and helps them lay to rest the specters of their past.
The production also cleverly incorporates cultural nuances, particularly in the character of Peter, whose name evokes the colloquial Tamil connotation of ‘talking Peter’ – speaking in English to flaunt one’s status. Indeed, Peter’s initial conduct epitomizes this local idiom. Additionally, the play’s intermission sees old Tamil film songs that presage the unfolding story, serving as both a transition and a teaser for the audience.
With a self-deprecating tag of “attempted humor” by the writer-director, the play’s journey isn’t just geographical but also comedic. It leaves trails of laughter but suggests that the path to crafting a full-fledged comedy is long and winding, hinting at the potential for growth in future productions.
Meanwhile, in the paradoxically named “Blackout,” directed by the duo of Raghavender Siva and Sabarivas, the stage is a whirlpool of comedic chaos, expertly orchestrated to depict simultaneous secrets under one roof. The plot revolves around Namasivayam (Bharath Vinayakamurthy), a penny-pinching father whose home becomes the crossroads for several clandestine plans during a blackout, a war measure due to the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Namasivayam’s daughter plans to elope, his wife conspires to help her brother without her husband’s knowledge, and Namasivayam himself yearns for a tryst with the charming yet manipulative Manjula, oblivious to her true intentions of fundraising. Add to this a drunkard lost in his inebriation and a patient seeking the medical expertise of Namasivayam’s son amidst the enveloping darkness, and you have a recipe for an uproarious fiasco.
The brilliance of “Blackout” emerges in the interplay of characters who, shrouded in darkness but illuminated for the audience’s pleasure, collide and misidentify each other, crafting a mosaic of misunderstandings and mistaken identities. Laughs crescendo until the lights reignite, and the tangled threads unravel to reveal a harmonious conclusion.
Bharath Vinayakamurthy’s portrayal of the miser Namasivayam steals the show, validating the competence and vibrancy of Theatrekaran’s ensemble. The play demonstrates the fluidity and versatility of live performance, dissecting comedic timing, and the essence of physical theater.
In essence, these two distinct narratives presented at the festival underscore theater’s perpetual dance with the intricacies of life and the celebration of its joys, sorrows, and absurdities. As the curtains draw to a close, the echoes of laughter and reflection continue, bearing testament to the unbreakable connection that ties the stage to the soul of storytelling.
