CHENNAI: Sivagamiyin Sabatham, a classic of Kalki Krishnamurthy, gets back on stage once again. As part of the two-day drama festival of Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, the well-structured plot helmed by D Mallikraj warmed the cockles of the theatre buffs.
The play detailed how King Mahendravarman commanded respect and the way he showered love towards all religions. Delving into the war antics of King Mahendravarman showcased the minutest details with which the production unit delved on the historical showpiece.
Post Mahendravarman’s ruling, Narasimhavarman is entrusted with the task. Interestingly, the segments where he showed the same intensity as of his father towards religions and art forms has been brought out in a visual delight.
Bharatanatyam and sculptures are the twin aspects which the author had given a detailed write-up. The director does well to probe the reasons, making the most of the articulate dialogues penned by Poovai Daya. The play sticks to the basic facts where Kanchipuram, the capital city of Pallavas, was the sought after place to learn the various art forms and the history of the temple-ridden city. How Mahabalipuram took its birth during the Pallavas regime is also squeezed in, doing justice to the enormous research done by the eminent writer.
Apart from the main characters, thrust had been on the allied characters of Paranjothi, the loyal friend of Narasimhavarman and the trusted chief of the Pallava army. Two other characters deserving the extended footage on stage were Kannapiran, the charioteer of Narasimhavarman and Naganandhi, a Buddhist priest.
You have the seasoned Anand Srinivasan as the Ayan Sirpi, ably supported by Sandhya in the pivotal character of Sivagami. Balkumar (as Narasimhar); Natesa Sabapathi (as Mahendravarman) and Sunanda (as Ranjani) do the expected from their rich theatre experience.