A YOUNG girl, who wants a monthly remuneration to love and a man who is growing out his nose. These are just some of quirky characters crafted by the legendary Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, one of the most celebrated writers from our land. A decade ago, director Rajiv Krishnan, who helms Chennai-based theatre collective, Perch, became so fascinated with the Beypore Sultan’s works that he developed a play, Under the Mangosteen Tree (originally called Sangathi Arinhya?). The two-hour performance—which is making its city debut this weekend—combines seven of Basheer’s most revered short stories, Poovan Pazham, Neela Velicham, Mathilukal,Shabdangal, Viswavikhayatamaya Mookku, Oru Manushyan and Premalekhanam.
Painting characters
With Neela Velicham as the central plot, we present the other stories in a non-linear sequence throughout the theatrical,” begins Krishnan, who spent time talking with the writer’s wife, Fabi Basheer in Beypore, to gain deeper insight into his creations. “Basheer’s characters have a lot of emotions, they are set in interesting situations and carry with them love and political innuendos,” says Krishna, who also acknowledges the writer’s vision to have characterised a war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Oru Manushyan, even before the psychiatric community woke up to it.
Largest role
The cast of seven—including actors Paul Mathew (playing Basheer), Bengaluru-based Rency Philip and cine actor Aparna Gopinath (of Charlie fame)—the play has already been showcased over 60 times around the nation. While the set reflects a ‘typical Kozhikodan household’, designed by Kalpana Balaji and John Mathew, the ‘naadan’ costumes are by Kaveri Lalchand.
“I read the original Malayalam version of the short stories before translating it for the team. Typical to any translated work and adapted play, the characters do lose a bit of their originality. But I was relieved as even the late Fabi Basheer said that she could feel the presence of her husband’s characters (and him) when she attended our Kozhikode performance,” says Mathew, Details: in.bookmyshow.com