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Creating magic with space
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
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Excellent Mani, behind-the-scene wonder of the Tamil stage, has been honoured for his 50 years of service.
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Photo: N. Sridharan
Felicitated: Excellent Mani.
A plane lands and the passengers disembark; a warship is wrecked to smithereens; a helicopter hovers in the air above a dense forest; palatial buildings, humble dwellings, parks and streets materialise — from the spectacular to the humdrum,
220;Excellent” Mani, the king of Tamil mainstream set design, has created them all. Priya Cultural Academy and Mayan Theatres held a felicitation function for the artiste recently, in the presence of AVM Saravanan, at the Rani Seethai Hall for completing 50 years of service to the stage.
A host of personalities connected with cinema and Tamil drama participated in the function.
ARS, Visu, Mouli, Sachu, S.Ve.Shekher, Raadhu and America Anantha spoke of Mani’s dedication and versatility, and the manner in which he had enriched their productions.
Down memory lane
Later, Mani took a trip down the lane of theatre nostalgia with this correspondent. “My romance with the stage began with acting,” he mused. “In 1954, America Anantha asked me to act the role of the villain in his play “Niraindha Ullam.”
The histrionic journey was soon curtailed as Mani fractured his leg and decided to devote himself to creating the backdrop for the action.
“I was asked to fashion the sets for Vani Kala Mandir’s ‘Deviyar Iruvar’ in which Sachu and ARS acted. This was followed by assignments for five more plays of the troupe,” recalls Mani, who has been associated with the lead players of Tamil drama such as Thangavelu, S.Ve.Shekher and Crazy Mohan.
He has worked extensively for Mayan Theatres and United Amateur Artistes. Mani has also been involved in the stage productions of film artistes Manorama, Sivakumar, Sripriya and Delhi Ganesh, among others.
“Those were the days,” sighed the designer. “In a single day, we would have to erect sets for plays presented by different troupes staged at various sabhas. I once undertook the job for ten plays presented by the same troupe over 24 hours.”
Challenges cropped up often. The material rewards were meagre, arguments often arising over a princely sum of Rs. 150 as payment.
“I remember how once when there was torrential rain, I thought the performance of Visu’s ‘Kudumbam Oru Kadamabam’ was off. But he landed up at home to demand why the sets had not been erected and I had to rush to Tambaram in the heavy downpour to put them up.
“For Visu’s ‘Uravukku Kai Koduppom,’ which was later made into the film ‘Samsaram Athu Minsaaram,’ I had to conjure up question marks above the characters’ heads and for Sridhar’s ‘Adi Sankara,’ lotuses at every step taken in the water,” Mani reminisced.
No small task
Mani's creation.
“I have created the setting for family dramas, thrillers and a historical play,” recalled Mani. “And my unfailing helper of 50 years has been ‘maistry’ Manickkam.” Erecting sets is no small task. Apart from displaying a keen understanding of the script and mood, it is necessary to conform to strict standards of safety.
Heron Ramaswamy’s “Thirumalai Naicker” proved quite a feat, according to Mani.
“We felt especially happy when veteran R.S.Manohar appreciated the palatial sets. It was challenging to recreate the zamindari palace for United Amateur Artistes’ ‘Lakshmi Kalyana Vaibhogamae’ and the revolving stage fashioned for UAA”s ‘Shakti,’ an adaptation of ‘Wait Until Dark,’ was innovative,” said Mani.
“United Amateur Artistes has been very generous. When my father lost his eyesight and later we got into debt, they helped raise money for our benefit,” chipped in Mani’s son Balaji.
“Side by side with the theatre activity, the catering business, which began with meals prepared by our mother, flourished,” he added.
It has grown into a prosperous enterprise sustaining Mani and his family.
“Today sets are put up for a meagre sum while formerly we used to work on a handsome budget. How can we create anything of quality within such limited means? To transform bare space into the scene of action with just a few planks of wood, yards of coarse white cloth and cardboards is thrilling,” observed Mani.
And the rewards? “Recognition and fame,” replied Mani looking back on half a century of work. For nothing has he christened himself “excellent.”
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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