CHENNAI: It is no trade secret that the flagship play of United Amateur Artistes Ragasiyam Parama Ragasiyam is still the most sought-after play in Chennai and across the globe. Viewing RPR at Sri Sankara Vidyashran School Auditorium under the auspices of Abbas Culturals and Roshini Fine Arts brought back memories of the time when the play was staged for the first time in April 1975. Over a period of time, YG Mahendran has lost count of the times it has been staged and roughly put it in the 1,500-figure bracket.
At the introduction, Mahendran said the year was a significant one, as, in September, he entered wedlock. “Both are going strong, the actor warmed up. My character Mahesh and Ganesh played by Suppini, have been inseparable since the inception,” he said.
Writer Venkat’s lines echoed strongly in the voices of the characters, A Manoharan essaying the Manjunath character, so effortlessly dished out by the father figure of Tamil theatre, YG Parthasarathy.
The play gains momentum from the word go. The casual chat between a businessman and a priest on the flight opens up all the windows. Sharing a secret to easing his guilt when the plane was in turmoil leads to unexpected happenings.
The twists and turns when the priest lands up in the house of Manjunath have all the trappings of a James Hadley Chase novel. Each character has guilt, only to be exposed at the turnaround of events. The priest too has a past, which is exposed in the well-entrenched finale. Spelling out that will not be a spoilsport with the play being enveloped by a repeat audience.
Playing a 25-year-old Mahesh is a walk in the ramp for the well-oiled Mahendran. With Suppini in company, Mahendran has a whale of a time, playing with the dialogues. Though set in the mid-70s, some liberties are taken in the prevalent political scenario.
The highlight of RPR was the way famed theatre actor ARS lent dignity to the character of Father Murphy. Filling in the shoes so effortlessly is Sureshwar, calm and composed. His restrained ways go a long way to help the guilt-ridden supportive characters to open their heart out.
Dapper Suppini had been the livewire, showing in ample measure why the ‘abbalam’ character is standing tall. He had been an admirable foil to UAA and no praise could be too high for the man of all seasons and for the right reasons.
As the sister-in-law of Mahesh, Madhuvanthi slips into her character with the ease of one who has seen it all from close quarters. Incidentally, Mahendran’s wife Sudha had performed that character, when the regular artiste got held up in the traffic.
That was the magic of YGP’s thinking in being prepared for any emergency. Shuffling the characters save for the awesome twosome has been the mantra. Only the chant has increased multi-fold. No one is complaining.
STEPPING INTO A SENIOR’S SHOES
The highlight of RPR was the way famed theatre actor ARS lent dignity to the character of Father Murphy. Filling in the shoes so effortlessly is Sureshwar, calm and composed. His restrained ways go a long way to help the guilt-ridden supportive characters to open their heart out.