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Alone, in search of true love

That’s the magic of theatre; no production resembles its previous one. It is forever new. When Manjulan began his solo show ‘Koonan’ (The Hunchback) for the 500th time, it was as fresh as the first production.

Actor Mammotty inaugurated the 500th performance of the play at BTH Sarovaram on Wednesday evening.

The play, adapted from a Philippine folk tale, by Jayaprakash Kuloor, is about a hunchback who finds his love for a girl unrequited. Before he dies, with a broken heart, he tells the audience that he had made God give him the hump, which was originally on the girl’s back.

The play starts with him fondling a bunch of flowers, which he had got for his love. Just before he dies, he gives away the bunch of flowers to a little girl, knowing for sure that this gesture would not change his ‘lover’s’ feelings for him.

“Campuses across the State immediately associated with the play. That was its success,” says Manjulan.

Manjulan was born in Payyannur. He took a degree in acting from the School of Drama and did his postgraduation in Classical Indian Theatre from the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit.

Though he has won many awards and acted in films and television, it was ‘Koonan’ that took him places.

And even that character is growing, in every presentation. Jayaprakash Kuloor, who was present for the 500th show, says: “When the play was first presented, the concept of unconditional love was there. And now when the same play is presented, it could also be interpreted as love becoming an obsession and harbouring on violence.”

“The scope of interpretations remains open In a way, there have been 500 ‘hunchbacks’; many could easily follow,” says the playwright.

With so much left unsaid, the nameless hunchback retired to darkness, leaving behind the colourful umbrella that he stole from his love.

And that, as Mammotty noted, was not the end. It was only a beginning.

Anand Haridas

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