CHENNAI: Punithavathi weds her guru Paramapadman, an ardent follower of Lord Shiva. He believes there is a God but not seen in the eyes of a common man. Punithavathi takes upon the challenge of convincing him that there is a force above all of us, shaping our destinies. Through a game of fruits, she homes in a pertinent point only to find her efforts turning counterproductive. Paramapadman sees her as the God, holding her in the highest esteem. How could he have the feelings of a man wedded to a Goddess — Paramapadman takes the wiser course of leaving her for good.
Determined to lead her life, Punithavathi gets the blessings to turn into an old woman, finding her mukti with the blessings of Lord Siva and Parvathi. One can be successful with hard work, respect for women, and pure thoughts in mind — Punithavathi underscores the values of life when confronted by two streetwalkers, determined to outrage her chastity.
The play, Karaikal Ammaiyar, which was staged at Chrompet Cultural Academy recently, had the audiences lauding the performances of Gopalakrishnan and Nanjil Revathi, deeming their efforts on par with the ones portrayed by thespian Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini in the evergreen Thillana Mohanambal.
Besides the author-backed role, Gopalakrishnan aka Rangachari Muthukrishnan Gopalakrishnan also donned the producer’s role. The title, ‘Nadaka Arakkan’ conferred by the drama aficionados seems to have sat well on his endowed shoulders. Fresh from the recent success of his play, the actor recalls the glowing phase of his career.
Stage performances
Hailing from a family of vedic pandits, the acting bug bit Gopala, as he is better known, during his school days. His ability to mimic legendary actors like MN Nambiar, RS Manohar, and PS Veerappa, won him a growing set of admirers in the Corporation School he studied. A die-hard fan of MGR, Gopala was often the first choice to be part of the school dramas.
Gopala surprised himself at the maturity of his voice, which helped him to get into the skin of adult characters belying his age. Learning the craft of Bharatanatyam too went a long way in him doing justice to the solitary song sequence in dramas, so conspicuous in the 90s. In an era where the audience thronged for the one-act plays, Gopala’s hands were full when a number of offers came his way, thanks to his defining stature in handling the nuances of a dance with his feet movements and effective rolling of the eyes.
He made an instant impact when he played the role of Lakshman in the play Sri Thiagarajar. “Lord Rama took everything in his stride with an assured calmness. The onus was on Lakshman to underscore the values and principles of the epic character and spell out the reasons for his 14-year vanavasam. The director left it to me to play the character in the desired way for the ultimate impact. Without raising the tone, I kept it simple but the baritone of the voice had the power to reach the distance. The phenomenal reach of the play went a long way to give a fillip to my image as an actor,” he shares.
Soon he was cast in the evergreen Ponniyin Selvan play, which turned out to be a milestone one for Gopala. Initially, he played the character of Senthan Amudhan, but director Mallikraj saw the potential to give him the negative character of Ravidasan. “Much like in the movies, there is a huge scope to perform in characters with shades of negativity. Ravidasan has a cunning mind to think ahead of his opponent, helping the king to capture the neighbouring country. Dialogues were the essence of the character and playing it in my inimitable style was the crowning moment of glory,” he notes.
Inevitably, Gopala was the first choice to don the negative characters. He was soon flooded with offers and had to balance his profession as a purohit and an actor, who had to find the means to keep the pot boiling.
Getting into the fold of Nataka Kavalar RS Manohar, Gopala was at his screeching best in Chanakya Sabadam where he donned the character of a minister at the kingdom of Chanakya. For sure, Gopala had a job at hand, in the vantage position of advising the one known for his sharp acumen. “The audience simply loved the sharp interactions where the minister was one up on the king. A battle between two engrossing minds had the audience in a trance, was how the media saw of the intriguing duel,” he says.
Forming a crew
With one thing leading to another, Gopala formed his troupe, MGR Kalai Kuzhu. The inaugural play Saneeswaran was a tribute to the late Heron Ramasamy. For Gopala, it was a long dream coming true, having seen the acts of Heron from close quarters. “The actor had a baritone voice backed by adorable body language and mannerisms. Saneeswaran was a play that had stayed with me for a length of time. Getting the voice of Heron was the key to the success and it was a child’s play for me to get that bang on,” he narrates.
The play dwelt on how the saint had to negotiate the disturbing time of being cursed by Lord Easwar to the time of succour from Lord Vinayaga. The cascade of events against the backdrop of Saneeswaran’s intelligence to negate every disturbing moment of his life was vividly brought out. “Much like my mentor Heron Ramasamy, who inaugurated the play when he was in total distress, I too had scores of personal issues when the play had to be ready on a committed day. Srikavi’s razor-sharp dialogues were the cornerstone for the success and I had to find a way to do it in my style. Comparisons were inevitable with Heron but my day was made when media summed it up as a perfect tribute, worth going miles to watch,” he says.
In his second home production Thenaliraman, he opted for the negative character of the Rajaguru. Asked if it was a deliberate move, he says it was only a coincidence. The Rajaguru character in the famed kingdom had been designed to give solicited advice when the situation warrants it. Countering the guile of Vikatakavi was the prime focus. Imitating the voice of MN Nambiar gave an added sheen to the play, finding a repeated audience.
There have been several plays and shows over the years, and Gopala has lost count of them. Now, he is on the job of shaping a play on the role of drama artistes, showcasing the values of Tamil literature. “Scores of people over the years have strived their best to bring to light the literacy values for the future generation. Unless, it has been told in depth, the value could not be gauged. As a senior artiste, I feel there is a job to be done and told earnestly,” he says.
As a parting shot, Gopala says that the Tamil stage could do with the support of a few sponsors for the show to go on. “Social plays are fine for an engaging audience but the connoisseurs look beyond that. There is no dearth of ideas but we could do with the
support of State government and the corporates if the culture has to be preserved,” he signs off.