‘Theatre here needs more’

More than 500 people attended the Dramatica 2010 finale at Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) premises. The finale showcased an adaptation of novelist Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s ‘Prema Lekhanam’ (Love Letter). The play was directed by Surya Krishnamoorthy.In a tête-à-tête with the two leads of the play — Amal Raj and wife Lekshmy Amal, DT found out the various challenges and hiccups faced in working for a play of this magnitude. They said, in chorus, that one of the biggest challenges they faced was being accepted by such a prolific writer. While Mr Raj plays the role of Keshavan Nair, Mrs Amal plays the role of Saramma — the play, with them as lead, has been performed on 120 stages. Staging the play at Pujapura Central Jail in Kerala, Mr Raj says, has been their most memorable performance to date, they said. “Women are generally not allowed there and Lekshmy was the first woman to do so,” Mr Raj says excitedly. “Apart from male prison inmates, 31 women inmates were also allowed to view the screening.”They added that Basheer had penned the novel in the same jail in 1942.The play was staged in the Shakespearean style in an arena, where the audience could view it from all sides. The talented couple feels “it’s challenging to perform in an arena as the audience can see each and every move the actors make”.“Mr Krishnamoorthy wanted the play to be staged in a way that even the audience is made a part of it. That’s the reason he chose the arena setting,” said Mr Raj.The couple added that the drama industry of Kerala is on a track to recovery, as there is more audience for theatre today. “More experiments are being made and they are being accepted by masses too. The presence of cinema superstars like Mammootty and Mohanlal also gives it a boost,” they said.Mr Raj and Mrs Amal applauded BKS for conducting Dramatica 2010. However, they feel that there needs to be better guidance given to participants to ensure quality.