CHENNAI: Madhava Bhoovaraga Moorthy is a name that is renowned, revered, and remembered in the field of acting and theatre. With an experience of four decades, this septuagenarian rewinds the bygone summers and the nascent stages of his learning experiences. “I learned acting from my mentor Poornam Viswanathan; fine-tuning the scripts from the works of renowned writer Sujatha, while my direction and acting blossomed in Gurukulam,” he says. He was an integral part of Poornam New Theatre, before it branched out. Along with four like-minded artistes of that troupe, Moorthy formed Gurukulam Original Boys Company.
Connoisseurs of the stage express that Moorthy excelled as a playwright where his characters exhibited emotional depth, striking a chord with the audience. As a director, Moorthy gave the deft touches while crafting his protagonists.
Conceding that acting came naturally to him, Moorthy says he followed the golden advice of Poornam in underplaying the characters and leaving his imprint. “The learning from Poornam is out of any teaching manual. He ensured that all the artistes were part of the rehearsal from day one. So much so that it came in handy for me to slip into any character when the artiste concerned failed to turn up for a show,” he says.
Unforgettable moments
Moorthy recalls the time when he was down with a throat infection hours before the play Dr Narendranin Vinodha Vazhakku and had dozed off. “Just 15 minutes before the play I got up, and hurriedly had my make-up and costumes in the auto before rushing to the green room. As luck would have it, the bell had gone but the curtains had not opened. I pushed my replacement character in the nick of time as the lights were on. Imagine the surprise of Poornam, who was on the stage, playing the accused character. Just a smile from him was enough to decipher how much he valued the sincerity. Such was the mutual bond the artistes learned from that famed production house,” he shares.
A Kannadiga, Moorthy speaks Tamil fluently. “I went to school and college in Mayavaram and even edited a handwritten Tamil monthly during my high school days,” he says. There were very few who shaped his career as a dramatist, imbuing a taste for literature and arts.
For the genial banker, the turning point of his career was moving over to Chennai and getting under the wings of Poornam. “It was a process where I learned everything step by step. Getting into the skin of the character was imperative but the artiste need not have to be dramatic. Play it straight from the heart and the results will echo from the thunderous cheers of the audience. The early lessons had stood the test of time so much so that I was seen as the crisis man for any drama troupe,” he says.
The artistes of Gurukulam were free to perform for other troupes. Each troupe has a peculiar style, and with each of them, the artiste would accumulate layers of experiences, and this was the philosophy of the founders of Gurukalam. “As an actor, I had my moments in interesting plays of Shraddha and Bombay Kannan. Directors placing their faith in me was the defining moment for me,” he says.
A play that made Moorthy very popular was Swami Vivekananda, helmed by K Vivek Shankar. As Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Moorthy breathed life into the character — as the media put forth in their view. “I read volumes of Vivekananda to know the esteem with which the Swamiji revered his mentor Ramakrishna,” he points out. Though it was a minuscule character, but had a very lasting impression. “I have acted in scores of plays but the one which will stay with me forever will be the Paramahamsa character. The beard has stayed with me since then,” Moorthy shares.
An ardent admirer of Sujatha’s scripts, his creativity took a giant leap reading the eminent works of writer T Janakiraman and emerging ones of that era. A profound trait of his writings was that they did not adhere to a set pattern, he notes, adding, “Irrespective of the beginning or end, what mattered was the middle phase of the play where the writer has to sustain the audience’s interest. In Gurukulam, artistes are free to air their opinions, which can be seen in the final product. Collect all the inputs, and put everything in place, but the final touch should have the director’s stamp. That had been the golden rule of Poornam.”
Trials and learning
Acceding that comedy was an area which he could not quite get it right, Moorthy ensured that the comical elements were in place while penning the scripts. “Having grown up hearing the magical lines of Marina in plays like Thani Kudithanam and Oor Vambu in All India Radio, the effect has rubbed on me,” he says.
In his comeback script Idudhan Sorgam after five years in the recent Kodai Nataka Vizha, Moorthy had dwelled on the plight of senior citizens in the old homes. Homing in a pertinent message that the grass is always green on the other side, the director underscored the importance of two mature minds coming to the aid of each other in the defining phase of one’s life.
The real meaning and essence of family life left the audience in tears in a play where there were many poignant moments. Happiness is in the mind and one need not have to go too far to seek was the underlying message. The play fetched two awards and Moorthy was delighted in the way the audience lapped up the offering and yelled for more.
More than the statistical feat of having acted and directed over 30 plays, not to forget the scores of plays reflecting his playwright skills, Moorthy saw the fulfilment in the presentation. If he had to pick one for his three-in-one act of writing, acting, and helming, it had to be Narkalikku Idamilai where he donned the pivotal character essayed by his mentor Poornam. What pleased him was the way the character stood to safeguard the piece of furniture seen by the younger generation as accumulated dust fit to be thrown out. As a writer of the play, Moorthy saw the merits of the chair; as an actor he had the freedom to exhibit that in the way he had deemed and the director in him ensured that the character did not go overboard.
In an impressive CV, Moorthy was the voice of Bhagwan Ramanar and Kanchi Paramacharya in Bombay Kannan’s audiobook. Part of eight movies, Moorthy notes he was happy to lend his mite when summoned at short notice.
In a world that gave him new meanings and avenues, Moorthy is at the most peaceful phase. Scouting for new ideas and setting a platform for emerging talents, Moorthy is all for the younger generation to come out with fresh ideas. “There is no dearth of talent bank and Gurukulam will be the perfect training ground to mould them. All one needs is the fire in the eyes and the determination to scale new heights. The doors are ever open in Gurukulam and there could be no better joy than giving back what one learned. The learning process goes on and the show has to go on, come what may,” he signs off.