Play of sentiments
T.K.SADASIVAN
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Amalraj and Lakshmi breathed life into Kesavan Nair and Saramma, the characters of Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s ‘Premalekhanam,’ which was staged in Kochi.
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Universal appeal: A scene from the theatre adaptation of Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s ‘Premalekhanam.’
Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s outstanding literary works are based on themes that have a universal appeal.
No one in Malayalam literature captured the theatrical aspects of life as Basheer did. There has been plenty of theatrical adaptations of his stories and it’s characters. The latest is ‘Premalekhanam,’ adapted from Basheer’s maiden literary work.
Breaking barriers
‘Premalekhanam’ (Love letter) revolves around the romance of Kesavan Nair, a bank employee from a conservative Nair family, and Saramma, a member of an orthodox Christian family. Kesavan Nair rents a house next to Saramma’s house and eventually falls in love with her. She lives with her father and stepmother and is forced to suffer the taunts of her stepmother, who blames her for anything and everything.
The play progresses through the dialogues between the love struck Kesavan Nair and the sceptical Saramma. Only when Kesavan Nair decides to leave the place, does Saramma express her love for him and elopes with him.
The play was staged in a make-shift stage; the spectators sat on four sides of the stage. What made the play interesting was the theme that seemed to be so relevant to our times.
Significant feature
The significant feature of the play was its simplicity. Simplicity was the dominant aspect of the theme, the dialogues, the acting, the costumes, the properties, the lighting and the total design.
The two characters on stage effectively narrated the story without any hitches.
The audio track of a steam engine separated the scenes, signifying the passage of time. Both Amalraj and Lakshmi acted brilliantly throughout the play. Incidentally, both of them met in college and got married later, much like the characters they enacted in ‘Premalekhanam.’ Perhaps this was an added advantage.
Amalraj was outstanding in portraying the angst and anxiety of the lovesick Kesavan Nair while his sweetheart Saramma stoically refuses to disclose her feelings. He was superb while depicting his predicament without knowing Saramma’s sentiments.
‘Premalekhanam,’ directed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy, had its debut in April this year. The script was by Basheer Manacaud.
Although Basheer wrote ‘Premalekhanam’ 65 years ago, the play reminds us that the ‘progress’ in our society is still superficial and that we have a long way to go before we can claim to be secular.
The play was organised by Bank Employees’ Arts Movement, Ernakulam, in connection with the birth centenary of Basheer.
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