‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’ traced the lifetime of the legendary musician M.S. Subbulakshmi.
| Photograph Credit score: SRINATH M
Dealing with performs on iconic personalities, whose larger-than-life picture is deeply entrenched within the collective creativeness of individuals, might be a frightening activity.
ThRee entertains’ Kaatrinile Varum Geetham, based mostly on the life and music of M.S. Subbulakshmi, directed by Bombay Gnanam, which premiered in Chennai to mark the legendary Carnatic musician’s 108th start anniversary, was one such endeavour, the place the narrative straddled between the 2 worlds of reality and fiction.
Based mostly on a e book
The 2-and-a-half-hour play, which started with M.S. and Sadasivam being launched to one another on the Kanchi math, travels down reminiscence lane to point out how a younger Kunjamma from Madurai transitioned right into a world-renowned Carnatic musician. The play relies on creator V.S.V. Ramanan’s e book of the identical identify. Just a few incidents from her private life and a few vital moments from her public life had been strung collectively, interspersed together with her in style songs.
The sequence of occasions flowed in a linear sample, with the storyline and characters acquainted to most of us. Just a few melodramatic scenes, significantly the M.S.-Sadasivam practice journey, appeared to have been included for impression.
Actors Lavanya Venugopal and Bhaskar, who donned the roles of M.S. and Sadasivam, had been saddled with a tough activity of residing as much as the favored picture of the couple. They tried to recreate it by their dressing and mannerisms, however the portrayal left quite a bit to be desired.
From the play ‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’, which was based mostly on VSV Ramanan’s e book of the identical identify.
| Photograph Credit score:
SRINATH M
Pre-recorded dialogue
Just a few parts raised critical questions that have to be addressed. Theatre is outlined as ‘a collaborative type of high quality arts that makes use of stay performers to current the expertise of an actual or imagined occasion in entrance of a stay viewers at a particular place’. Can this play, which had the actors lip-syncing (typically the sync was lacking) to a pre-recorded dialogue monitor (just like dubsmash) be referred to as a theatrical presentation? The restraint that this technique brings on the actors was evident in each scene. Their stilted performances robbed the enjoyment of watching a play.
Worse was the caricaturish portrayal of personalities resembling Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajaji, Sarojini Naidu, Veena Dhanammal, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, and Kalki. Although they had been a part of the narrative, effort was not taken to point out how they’re integral to the M.S. story. Within the scene, the place Semmangudi and Rajaji seem collectively, one couldn’t differentiate one from the opposite. Equally comical was the Meera tune sequence.
Lavanya Venugopal and Bhaskar as M.S. and Sadasivam within the play Kaatrinile Varum Geetham.
| Photograph Credit score:
SRINATH M
When presenting a play on an actual individual, care must be taken to make sure authenticity. Sadly, the play didn’t give attention to her musical experiences, her starvation to broaden her artistic horizons, and the challenges she confronted as a girl to ascertain herself.
Transferring from authentic recordings of M.S. at sure locations to the voice of Gayathri Venkataraghavan (although well-rendered) was a disturbing aspect. The units didn’t set up the milieu of the locations depicted. Lighting by Mohan Babu was under par.
If the play drew within the viewers, credit score goes to the aura of M.S. and the timeless enchantment of her music. Kaatrinile Varum Geetham didn’t do a lot to rejoice the life and works of this Bharat Ratna awardee.
Printed – September 19, 2024 04:43 pm IST
