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THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
V. Balakrishnan
Did this play about Sri Lankan politics interest you because you are a Tamil?
Born and brought up in Delhi, I consider Hindi to be my mother tongue. I'm beginning to discover my Tamil background only now. I wasn't satisfied with my earlier production of this play at the Stagerite Festival, Bangalore. I owe it to Delon (Weerasinghe) to do it right. Experience has taught me how it should be done.
Are you daunted by the fact that it's a serious play?
We must talk about good things and bad. I see myself as a storyteller. And stories find their listeners. So much misinformation is fed to the people about wars and other calamities engineered by bigoted factions. We must know what actually happened. Here's a playwright telling us about things he has lived through. Not just politics, but what happens to ordinary people when they are trapped in calamitous situations. Isn't this the same in Assam or Punjab, U.P. or Maharashtra?
But the play is about a particular political situation in Sri Lanka.
My take on it is to use that Sri Lankan situation to look at basic problems common to people the world over: bigotry, corruption, greed and vested interests. People in power are motivated by interests that have nothing to do with the interests of the people. The script too looks at the world from an ordinary citizen's point view, reflecting his dilemmas and traumas.
What is that basic question?
The soldier asks himself what patriotism really means. Is it giving up your life because somebody at the top gives an order, or is it questioning that order which is prompted by vested interests? Instead of giving up life, shouldn't he use that life to work towards achieving a better life for his people?
What is your approach to the presentation of this theme?
There is greater scope for visuals if the script is made into a film. On the stage, the actors must create the imagery. This can be tricky, but also exciting. I have not cluttered the stage with sets. I trust in the imagination of the audience.
On August 12, 7.15 p.m.
The Music Academy
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