CHENNAI: Walking away with the Best Character Artist award in the annual Kartik Fine Arts Kodai Nataka Vizha is not a new feat for Viswanathan Ramesh. This septuagenarian is keen on getting back into his familiar arc after a two-year sabbatical, come April.
Viswanathan credits his theatre journey to his mentor, the late Poornam Viswanathan. “From the time I joined in 1980, everything has fallen into place as if it had been programmed that way. From an actor to scriptwriter and later, plunging into direction, I learned the art and craft of Tamil theatre from Poornam Sir,” he shares.
An integral part of Poornam Theatre before it branched out as Gurukulam Old Boys Company in 1995 under the able hands of his co-theatre artiste MB Moorthy, Viswanathan’s height was seen as an advantage by Poornam, thrusting him into author-backed roles in the initial years.
Characters abound
Dwelling on his first important character of Madhivadanam, the rich industrialist in Oonjal, Viswanathan saw its victory in the way the audience started enthusiastically calling him by that name even long after the play was done.
“Those were the good old days where the audience remembered every character, which motivated the artistes. Any character was fine with me, as secretly I longed for the ones which stood tall in the characterisation and the longevity in the stage,” he says.
Among his early essays, Viswanathan remembers Singh Cum Iyengar Paeran where he had the cushion of a turban to home in the Punjabi language skill. A play that pitchforked his ability to slip into another zone was Kanavu Illam which revolved around class character dreams.
Moorthy, who had directed him in several plays, reminisced the impact of Uruvagaluku Appal where Viswanathan had a blast finetuning the Madurai accent, which he acquired during his college days.
Nayirum Thingalum was another play where Viswanathan brought out the intricacies of the mindset of a human relations manager to the extent of chucking his job and settling for an alternative profession as a cook.
He also vividly remembers the emotionally-drenched psychology doctor in Enna Porutham where he questions the mindset of the younger generation in not attaching due importance to preserve nature.
Shradha was a big hit that fed the appetite of the increasing patronage of theatre buffs. Viswanthan picked the Sundara Chola character as his magnum opus ‘”for the sheer reach of Ponniyin Selvan by Magic Lantern. The rich production value and costumes elevated the play to a level not experienced by the Tamil audience.”
After the doyen
Poornam retired due to failing health, however, the bunch continued the good work. Viswanathan notes that the onus was on him and the other disciples to keep up the legacy of an actor, “who preached what he practised.”
Poornam, he says, taught the technicalities of theatre, usage of mike, the intricacies of delivering dialogues. He emphasised the ebbs and flows while uttering a dialogue. He says, “Every play we do is in remembering a theatre legend whose contribution had been phenomenal.”
He is aware of the reputation that Gurukulam Old Boys Company has generated and garnered over the years. Quality had been the essence and watchword of the troupe, which has become a force to reckon with in Tamil theatre — a play from that house is a miss-it-not-one in the calendar.
He acknowledges that Gurukulam made him efficient. He says, “The team is my strength which has grown and evolved over many summers. It is Gurukulam that made me a writer in Thodorum Payangal and thankfully, the journey is continuing.”
From the stage, Viswanathan moved to the small screen. Getting a slot in varied television serials meant Viswanathan’s fan base grew multifold. The short film Mouname Vaarthaiyai pocketed the Best Short Film award in Kalaignar TV Nalaya Iyakunar, and that had been the icing.
Awards sit well in his stacked cupboard, be it the Karthik Award of Excellence, or the revered Mylapore Academy. Conceding that awards encourage an artiste, the one Viswanath holds dearly is the appreciation from the audience. “The assets I see is the wealth of friendship with my fellow artistes, not to forget the growing set of admirers over the years.”
Before ending the conversation, he shifts it to his personal critic and says, “My wife Shanthi is the best critic, and getting her pat is equivalent to a ‘Theatre Oscar’. At the end of a play, when you are greeted with a job well done by the fans — the eye contact relaying the honesty is the mother of all compliments. That is a moment every artiste lives for; me being no exception. In a team game, I am happy to make my little contribution,” signs off Viswanathan whose middle name may well have been ‘Modesty’.