KOCHI: ORMAYUDE ARANGIL, the radio drama festival aired by AIR, was a journey to the days when the radio reigned the cultural space of Kerala. AIR designed the festival in such a way as to give due representation to the artists who enriched radio plays for the last six decades.
Nine plays were presented to mark the completion of 60 years of radio play broadcast. Using the invaluable voice bank of the AIR library, the nine-day festival started with the all-time hit War and Peace, the radio adaptation of the literary classic of Leo Tolstoy by Nagavalli R S Kurup. Characters of this classic play, a 1963 production of Thiruvananthrapuram Radio Station, once again evoked evergreen memories of those heydays when the tranquillising voices of radio artists conquered the listeners.
It virtually brought back an era reigned by the seductive voice of Kainikkara Kumara Pillai, T R Sukumaran Nair, P K Vikraman Nair, P Gangadharan Nair, K G Sethunath, K G Devaki Amma, Adoor Pankajam, K P A C Sulochana, T P Radhamani, C S Radha Devi and others. When the matchless soothing sound of P Gangadharan Nair breathed life into the central character, a serene mood prevailed throughout the hour-long play.
Kozhikode AIR presented the second night’s play, ‘Sethu Bandhanam’. Celebrities of Malabar Theatre Movement, including Balan K Nair, Kunjandi and others, breathed life into the characters of ‘Sethu Bandhanam penned by K Thayaat, through their matchless voice control. The vibrant voice modulations of these stalwarts could convey the undercurrents of the play.
The broadcast of the satirical play ‘Mooshika Sthree’, penned by legendary thespian-turned film actor P J Antony, was the third night’s feast. The radio adaptation and direction of this production of the Thrissur AIR was done by
K A Muralidharan. Voices of celebrities like M K Warrier, Sreemoolanagaram Mohanan, Leela Kolappulli and Thrissur Elsy enriched the dramatic moments of the play.
Kochi FM Station’s presentation, ‘Shathru’, was an indication to the present insecure atmosphere prevailing in our nation. Interestingly, while portraying the mechanical life cycle of an army personnel and the aggressive thoughts of a terrorist, the dramatist also tried to expose the meaninglessness of war.
Listeners could experience the magic of the great classic of Bernard Shaw, The Arms and the Man, through this play which has many similarities with it.
Film Actor Siddique could do justice to role of the army personnel. While delivering the dialogue he unveiled the anxiety of an army man and at the same time exposed the hidden human elements in his subconscious mind.
Manju Prathima, aired from Kannur Station, presented a novel theme for radio plays which was well coordinated by a handful of talented artists. P Padmarajan’s transformation from a radio artist to a director took place in the early half of 1970s. Valarthu Malsyangal, the play penned by Padmarajan and aired by Thiruvananthapuram AIR in 1970, was a clear indication of a genius’ evolution. This play highlighted the greed of mankind and his anxiety over his share of wealth when a ‘new comer’ arrives in the family.
The powerful tonal range of gifted radio artist Madavoor Bhasi and the striking identity of the voices of Kambisseri Karunakaran, Thoppil Krishnapillai, G Vivekanandan, T P Radhamani, K P A C Lalitha and Padmarajan himself added flavour to this 1970
production.
Among the three skits presented by Kozhikode AIR on the seventh night, the second one, Mukhangal Vilpanakku, unveiled the dual personality of a husband who keeps two ‘masks’ in his private life, one for his wife and the other for his lover. The three skits penned by Khan Kavil were a mirror to the pretentious human condition in society.
Radio adaptations of short stories of Cherukadu, presented by Thrissur AIR reflected the hapless situation of the middle class society.
The grand finale was enriched by the intimate voices of film stars in the play, Jeevanulla Prathimakal, presented by Ananthapuri FM. The play, which was broadcast in 1987 provided a golden chance to the listeners to recall the vibrant voices of the late M G Soman, Karamana Janardhanan Nair,
K A Asis and C I Paul. The play also used the voices of Mohanlal, Jagadeesh, Manianpillai Raju, Aaranmula Ponnamma, Rajakumari and Bhagyalakshmi.
“The response was good,” said Baben Kaimaparamban, the brain behind this unique drama fest.
kochi@expressbuzz.com