CHENNAI: An officer job in the government sector took him places. And he went places with his passion for theatre. That is TD Sundarrajan, a brand name in the world of Tamil theatre, who has seen it all in his five decades, mastering the craft as actor-director-creator. His mantra for his longevity is — never claim what you are not and whatever you have done, claim it with justifiable pride.
“I am in the best phase of life, having given my might in both profession and passion,” reflects the 85-year-old with the enthusiasm and energy of a college student on his first date. “‘The show must go on’ is an age-old adage that holds good even today. The bottom line of a writer is the need to be open to change and start writing plays in sync with the prevalent scenario,” opens up TD, as he is affectionately called in the world he loved, ruled and charmed all and sundry with his mannerisms.
Writing to acting
The windows to his acting career opened up when he joined hands with Kathadi Ramamurthy, forming Stage Creations. “My transferable job, every three years, did not deter me. Be it in Mumbai, Delhi or Visakhapatnam, my experience in theatre helped me to be part of the local groups, enjoying a good patronage from them,” he says.
In those days when there was a clamour for quality stage plays in cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Madurai; TD was a livewire handling all departments with an energy level which spoke volumes of his commitment. Pocketing an award from Mylapore Academy for playing the second brother character in Pattina Pravesam was a moment of reckoning for him.
TD did not chase success even when he had a chance to. Spurning a movie offer from ‘Iyakunar Siganar’ K Balachander was unheard of in the era where each actor worth his salt yearned to be part of the tinsel world of Kavithalaya. “KB sir offered the same character which I did in Pattina Pravesam with the note that he was overwhelmed with emotions at my range. Movies did not interest me then; besides getting leave for a length of time was a professional hazard. I am not carrying any regret, as I was destined for laurels in theatre which the movies would not have given. I chased my dreams in stage plays with no place for the monetary aspect. Till date, I have not taken even a rupee as remuneration,” he shares.
Pressed with his movie commitments, KB could not find time to give life to the creation of his play Idiyudan Koodiya Mazhai. When he placed a request to TD that he was his only choice who could do justice to that, TD felt it was the moment of his life. “What more could I have asked for? The play won rave reviews, which was my way of showing gratitude to KB sir,” he beams.
Asked to pick his favourite as an actor, TD says it had to be Piriyamudan Appa directed by CV Chandramohan. “I lived and breathed with the character where the father is sheltered in a destitute home by his son. The play dwelled extensively on the emotions where the father rewinds the day when his child was born to the time he is educated and finds his life partner. There were lots of close-up shots which helped the character to connect with the audience. Those days, long sentiment-drenched dialogues were the feature of stage plays. Such characters had to be written with passion where the director scored, happy to leave the space for the actor in me to explore, explode and live with it for the rest of my life,” he details.
A stage for writers
Slipping into English theatre was a logical turn. “Those days word-to-mouth was in vogue and in no time, I was part of Madras Shakespeare Society. Short plays were the norm and I had a feast of a handful. The big moment was in playing a character moving around in a wheelchair in the play Rear Window with all the formula which an Alfred Hitchcock play demanded. Winning a new set of admirers made me realise that more is merry in the chosen world of mine,” he says.
For TD, the best phase had been the forming of Shraddha with a few like-minded friends in 2010. The idea was to break the shackles that there is a template in the way a drama has to open and end with an all-is-well feel. “In Shraddha, age is no barrier as we believe in the dictum that a writer has to pen his script for the artiste it is intended. We choose characters for the artistes and not the other way round. The best thing is in students and homemakers being part of Shraddha. The training is based on each one’s mindset. The onus had been on us, proud to say that a handful of talents had been spotted, who are regulars in Shraddha,” he says.
Revealing that bringing life to stage and stage to life has ensured in not restricting the creativity of a writer, who is happy to put his thinking cap on, TD said the winning formula is in not holding the rights of the play. “The writer has the freedom to take it to the desired level and he can stage any number of times. Only, Shraddha moves on to the next play, after four shows back-to-back,” he says.
Innovation and novelty were the watchwords in Shraddha’s plays. Recalling a poignant moment, TD says the stage was divided horizontally and not in the traditional vertical way in the play Valai to show that the stage was divided into two places. “Vyugan was everything in black and white including the costumes and lights, bowling over the audience. Bringing a horse to stage in Vathavudan, a towering 18-foot long octopus in a children musical and an English play of college students only done with mime showed Shraddha in a different light,” he shares.
On the director’s chair
As a director, TD’s cherished moment was in Ippadikku Nandini where the feelings of a young woman on the threshold of marriage was brought out with all its pristine pureness. “There is a moment of loneliness which engulfs every woman when she is in search of her soulmate. The happiness in the wedding does not last long when the pressure heats up to beget a child. Why adopt a child when there are scores of elderly couples who are left high and dry by their children? The concept touched emotional chords as the girl herself was an orphan, the moment was worth living for,” he explains.
TD’s acumen for perfection won approbation in Thupparium Sambu where writer Devan had created a huge impact depicting Sambu as a dumb one blessed with the Lady Luck. “The challenge was in changing Sambu’s image but the deadpan image of the character could not be trampled upon. The IQ level of the audience was on par with my thinking. I was happy to find so many happy faces around partaking in the joy of a well-conceived play, brought out with all its lustre,” he says.
In a team game, TD says an artiste has to accept and move on. “My involvement was total in plays of Manickavasagar and Alwar. But in a director’s medium, I had restricted footage in both as an actor. In Shraddha, there is no room for cribbing with the unwritten law to make the most of the given space,” he shares.
Borrowing a line from others and feasting up with that is also in order, he notes. “We took a line from a Marathi play of Vijay Tendulkar and gave it a colour to suit the Tamil audience. I played the ice-cream vendor helping a 10-year-old girl realise her dream. Such characters on the face of it may look out of imagination but if presented in the right way can upset all calculations,” he says.
A long stint in television serials and the only movie, Nala Damayanthi, where his act was restricted to one scene (as father of actor Madhavan), completes the CV of TD.
In a retirement home, off Mahabalipuram, away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, TD’s eyes speak volumes of the bygone eras. “My limbs are tired but deep inside there is the unbridled job in having given the best shot. Life has to be lived fully and am in that phase where every second has to be savoured. As a consultant, I’m open to anyone desiring my inputs, just a phone call away,” he says.
With a new set of friends, TD is set to direct a short play and an all-ladies play for the inmates of the Home. Of course, with the consent of his wife Prema, “a pillar of support all through,” TD winds up, with a twinkle in his eyes. So characteristic of his on-stage ways.