CHENNAI: If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium — the romantic comedy movie of the late 60s was a runaway hit for its humorous content. Similarly, one could say this of stage scriptwriter Poovai Mani, whose shows on the weekend Saturdays was a compulsive watch for drama buffs. That was in the mid-80s when Tamil stage was ruled by the doyens like Mouli, SV Shekher, Cho, YG Mahendran, not to forget RS Manohar’s historical offerings. Amid all this was a frail-looking youngster making an instant hit with his offerings to an audience starved of family fare.
Son of famed novelist S Arumugham, Mani took to writing like a duck taking to water. The inspiration stemmed from his school days in Ramakrishhna Matriculation School where he was encouraged to pen scripts for school plays. Through word of mouth, Mani was sought after by members of Integral Coach Factory drama troupe to pen scripts for their monthly plays at Kambar Arangam.
Entry to the stage
For Mani, the doors to the stage opened a little earlier than he had bargained for. “In the mid-80s, it was boom time for Tamil theatre with around 40 sabhas catering to the need of audience, rooting for out-of-the-box content. Sticking to my strength, I focused on scripts giving avenues to explore and explode at the opportune moment. Experience dawned on me that mere conventional scripts for a selective audience could not take me far. Mixing crime with family scripts was the winning factor as the audience could connect with the scripts. In an era when twists and turns were not the norm, I successfully carried that to surprise the audience at every turn,” he says.
An early defining moment in his career, was when legend movie director K Balachander found time amid his schedule to watch his plays. Mani was speechless. “Generous in his praise, his words were the tonic for me to unravel uncharted areas. It all boiled down to improvising the scripts, stemmed from the confidence of a trusted audience,” he shares.
Mani did not venture into directing, where he could have given the added sheen to the inputs. He believed in entrusting the job to those specialised in it. “There were n-number of aspiring directors and it gave me immense joy to set up a platform for them. Also, I could focus on my job without the added burden. As in the movies, stage plays are in the hands of the directors, who could make or mar them,” he opines.
Having hit the silver jubilee mark, Mani says each play of his is special for him. Early on, Karpura Bommai Onru brought to light his sharp writing skills. “There is a good in a bad man and bad in a good human being. Caught in the middle of two individuals is a woman, determined she is to expose the masks. Speed was the essence of the play and my idea of not giving the audience a breathing time worked wonders,” he says.
Playing with words
Known for playing the mind game in his plays, Mani underscores that in Vilayattu Bommaigal he questioned the wisdom of the Almighty in allowing an individual to escape, post committing a crime. “It was a game between a common man and the eternal force which controls all human beings. Told with a speck of humour and sarcasm, the play had a repeat audience. That was when KB sir harped on the importance of effective screenplay striking a chord with the audience.” he says.
A play close to Mani’s heart is Uravodu Vilayadu where he spelt out loud and clear that the individual is the author of his fortunes or misfortunes. “If he does a good thing, the next generation will reap the benefits. Karma has it that he alone has to pay for his sins.”
For Mani, the transition to the next level happened after this play when eminent names in the drama world took stock of the range of offerings. “I can take pride to divulge that Kalaivani, my home production, had been the stepping stone for scores of aspirants, be it the actors or the ones calling the shots backstage,” he notes.
That five of his plays were good enough to be brought as novels is a telling piece of commentary on the reach. Popular television serials like Ennoru Seethai, Thavam and Aram Seivom in Doordarshan had the efficiency of Mani’s pen written all over them.
Awards have rained on Mani right from Ten Stars Academy to Mylapore Academy interspersed with the one from Karthik Fine Arts. His record of nine awards from KFA for a single play in the annual Kodai Nataka Vizha stood the test of time.
If records are meant to be broken, Mani says he will be the first one to clap. “Awards do motivate everyone right from the lightman to the director. Each time a record is set, it is a strong message that the drive to excel is total. Silently, I watch behind stage to gauge the audience reaction. Their faces show it all, be it the admiration or not connecting with the happenings. For me, that has been the moment living for,” he signs off.