War and peace
MANU REMAKANT
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‘Andubali,’ the play scripted and directed by veteran dramatist Vayala Vasudevan Pillai, highlights the futility of war and makes an eloquent plea for peace.
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RITUALS OF WAR: `Andubali' looks at the battle through the eyes of powerful women characters in the Mahabharatha.
Andubali,’ a play scripted and directed by veteran dramatist Vayala Vasudevan Pillai, was staged by M.Phil students of the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, University of Kerala, at The Senate Hall in Thiruvananthapuram. The dramatist anchors the story on the Mahabharatha and sets the stage for a powerful play that is an eloquent plea for peace.
By shifting the perspective of the play, the playwright and director looks at the battle of Kurukshetra through the eyes of powerful women characters in the Mahabharatha such as Kunti, Gandhari, Subhadra and Draupadi – all of whom suffer grievous losses in the great war.
The play begins with the story of a local temple where the war of Kurukshetra is staged every year as a ritual. The belief is that the Pandavas would appear if they are appeased with the staging of the battle. And then the playwright takes us to the great war and through the play makes us wonder if the women could have stopped the war. Each of the women characters ponder on the choices made by her that might have resulted in the Kuruskshetra.
While Subhadra sees her future through the valour of her son, Abhimanyu, Draupadi longs for the day when she can wash her hair in Dushasana’s blood. Ironically, it is only blindfolded Gandhari who can see the dark clouds ahead. With his mother’s blessings, an arrogant Abhimanyu leaps into war only to be consumed in its flames.
The scene in which Subhadra wanders through the battleground strewn with mutilated bodies of soldiers will stay etched in the minds of the viewers. Dr. Pillai makes a powerful statement about the futility of war and how death is the great leveller in the scene where Subhadra is shown nursing the body of Duryodhana’s son, mistaking it for the body of Abhimanyu.
The tragedy of Draupadi, who thirsts for revenge even after losing all her sons in the battle, has been etched in stark lines by the dramatist. In the background are the saner women, Kunti and Gandhari. Gandhari gropes through the battleground; she is in eternal search for a key that is lost – the key of Dharma.
The common men draped in white robes take the stage in the final scene. They are the unsung heroes of every war, pawns in battle games played by kings. Stories are about powerful men, no war addresses the poor man’s plight. Their wail is one long and eternal note that gets lost in the din of every war. “Our rivers have gone dry, our forests are consumed, see…our air and water are poisoned…we can’t breath, we can’t drink,” they wail.
Mood of war
“I wanted it to sound like a nuclear holocaust,” says Dr. Pillai. In the background we see Picasso’s celebrated anti-war painting ‘Guernico.’ Dr. Raja Warrier, who is also assistant director of the play, whips up the mood of war and psychological conflict with the help of drums.
The play successfully poses the question of the validation of dharma and adharma in bold terms. The message of the play is that the Pandavas chose the wrong way to right the wrongs done to them. Symbolism has been used appropriately to give a contemporary touch to the play. Siji S.R. and Raji V.P. excelled as Gandhari and Kunti, while Sreeregha Sreedharan and Darsana Ajay performed as Subhadra and Draupadi. Krishnakumar K.K. played Abhimanyu.
‘Andubali’ not only represents the voice of the marginalised in the epic story but also delves deep into the human mind to reveal the dormant forces inside. What seems to be a personal tragedy turns to enormous dimensions as we gain insight through Gandhari. “All dead men are our sons,” she mumbles.
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