Rags, riches and then...
A. RAMALINGA SASTRY
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The short plays staged proved to be thought provoking projection of humanness apart from a showcase of good acting talent.
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EXISTENTIAL ANGST A scene from `Manavatvaniki Marokonam'.
Visakha Music and Dance Academy featured two short plays in its auditorium Kalabharati last week . The first was Manavatvaniki Marokonam scripted by Nandi Award winner and cine writer, Kasi Viswanath. It was directed by N. Jagadish for Bhagyasri Fine Arts and Cultural Association.
The story revolves around Neelamma (D. Jayalakshmi), an affectionate and dedicated maid in the house of one Raghunadha Rao (M.A. Srirama Murty), who by sheer self effort becomes an affluent industrialist and humanely provides employment to people in need. He marries his own peon's daughter Manjula (M. Hema) who not only forgets her past as her husband becomes rich but also gets addicted to sophisticated life. She feels it below her dignity to attend to her husband even when he is seriously ill . In contrast, Neelamma, with humane and soul soothing touch, serves Rao with concern.
Rao's son Jayanth (played by the director himself) appears on the scene after completing his studies in the US, talks belittling the motherland and demands that his father should sell away his property to start business in the US. He thinks that living here is an antonym of the heavenly life in the US. Rao, knowing all this, decides to marry Neelamma to a decent person and bequeath his entire property upon them. The son and wife threaten him that they would go to the court. Lack of proper understanding of the difference in law pertaining to the absolute rights of self-acquired and inherited properties notwithstanding, the altercation, in lengthy and grandiloquent dialogues between the father and son, drew reverberating applause. Despite deviation sans any relevance to the title, it proved to be a thought provoking projection of yet another angle of humaneness.
While the other two minor roles, were played with the same felicity by B. Krishna Murty and P.V.R. Murty, credits for make-up, stage decor, lighting and music were shared by Bharani, B. Trimurthy, P. Ramu and P. Raju.
The second play Pakkintlo Puttandi was a showcase of good acting talent. But, it reflected a very bad taste putting the sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, Alluri, Jhansi Lakshmi Bhai and the likes of the yore to get the country liberated from foreign rule on par with the present day terrorism.
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