Adapted well to local milieu
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
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`Visaranai' was a refreshing production that gave a boost to the sagging sabha scene.
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PLEASANT CHANGE: Visaranai. Photo: K.V.Srinivasan
J.B.Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" is an all-time favourite. The superbly constructed play with its ingenuous use of the time element rips open the mask of the rich and the powerful and forces them to face the ugly truth about themselves and do some soul searching. It raises questions on accountability and moral values and focusses on selfishness and hypocrisy.
When an inspector calls at the home of an industrialist, who is celebrating the engagement of his daughter at a party consisting of his wife, his daughter, her fiancé and her brother, he throws the household into turmoil.
The interrogation disturbs all the members and they realise one by one how they have been responsible for destroying the life of a young and beautiful girl. The egocentric view collapses and they are made to realise that society is a web of interconnected relationships and responsibilities where each individual has a duty to discharge.
"Visarani" was translated into Tamil by Gnani and staged by his Pareeksha group at the Ramakrishna Mission School in T.Nagar, Chennai. The play was presented as a part of Mudhra's Drama festival comprising five plays and a panel discussion on theatre.
Suitable references
It was a pleasant change to see such a play staged on the sabha circuit and the credit goes to the organisers and the theatre group. The connections were made clearly through a well-adapted script by Gnani, who brought in the contemporary and the local through suitable references. The universal and timeless quality of Priestley's work was evident because it fell so easily into the milieu and context.
Kumaraswamy (Ramji) is the father, the industrialist you meet often, furthering his business interests by any means and acutely conscious of his social status and clout.
Rajeswari (K.R.Usha) is his wife protecting appearances at any cost and refusing to see the truth. Ravi (Rajaram) is their liquor-addicted son whose ruin is brought about by his parents' shallow value system.
The most intelligent among them is the daughter Priya (Bharati) who along with her brother represents the honesty of the young. She realises how greatly they have erred and repents for their actions. The most perceptive remarks of the play belong to her.
Bhaskar (Dhanasekharan) is her wealthy and well born fiancé who comes off the best in this ordeal.
Bharati brought out the passion and the honesty of the character and did her role with understanding while Ramji fitted the industrialist's role. Rajaram looked suitably sloshed and angry.
Dhansekharan's pronunciation needs to be much worked upon.
Usha was good when she acted the superior matron but unconvincing in her agitation.
As the Inspector, Ilan Cheran was good in parts but rather overdid the chin upraised as belligerent stance. It was surprising to see the maid enter the living room of an Indian home in her slippers.
The direction by Cheran and Usha passed muster. But overall the production lacked tautness, not helped by the noise of the passing trains from the nearby track.
Shortfalls
The shortfalls in the sets and stage props were glaring when one read the elaborate stage directions of the original play.
The hall was unsuitable for the play. It was large and open and dispersed the intensity and the tension.
The length and the faulty audio system also prevented the play from being more effective.
Despite the limitations, it was a refreshing production that gave a boost to the often sagging sabha scene.
It opened up the sabha stage enabling viewers to witness an absorbing work that dealt with larger issues, of an individual's role in society, unlike most sabha plays that are restricted to interaction within the members of a family.
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