Among a plethora of awards, Tamil stage dramatist and writer Kaniyuran picked the SV Sahasranamam award (due to receive on February 19, on the 111th birth anniversary of the legend). The nonagenarian rewinds his memory and shares snippets of his career. Based in Coimbatore, Kaniyuran believes he was fortunate that many of his plays penned by him were good enough to be staged in Chennai in an era where the elites of the Tamil stage ruled the metropolis. He says, “The icing on the cake was when Divan Bahadur C P Ramasamy presided, heaped encomiums and draped the award on me.”
A school dropout, Kaniyuran said his early interest was kindled in the annual plays at school when he won the best actor award for the play penned by him. In an era where finding a job was equivalent to impossible, Kaniyuran hit upon the idea of opening a job typing centre yielding great returns. “The idea was to think outside the box as there were many aspirants who had already made an impact. Deep inside, there was a longing to dive into the world of politics, inspired by the satirical plays of Cho. But then, I had to be different even if I had borrowed the ideas.”
On the humongous impact of his debut play ‘Amateur Aravamudhu’, Kaniyuran said he had to double up as an actor besides penning the script. “Acting was not in me but then, I had to do justice to my script which was heavily laced with humour and a bit of sarcasm. The audience simply loved the way where the characters spoke their mind without any inhibition. The stage was set for further laurels as the media lavished its praise on an unsung newcomer.”
Kaniyuran attributed his wins to the opportunities presented to him by his friend Arthanareewaran, who had formed a troupe. “Writing bug bit me and I earned the tag of the one who had the wherewithal to pen a script for a play overnight. Before long, I had penned 20 scripts and the strike rate of success to a knowledgeable audience had me in a thrall. That was when the pressure factor enveloped me but then my inspiration stemmed from the bold ways with which the movies of eminent director K Balachander was received by a different set of audience in that era.”
For Kaniyuran, what set him apart from the handful of writers was his ability to see the audience involvement in each of his plays. “In those days, songs were an integral part of plays and I had my fill placing six love-drenched songs in the play ‘Vazhkai Azhaikiurathu’ where the audience clamoured for all the songs to be staged again in a repeat show.”
Kaniyuran said his experiemental play ‘Manothathuva Doctoridam Sila Patients’ was a play that gained momentum. “Audience loved the proceedings. Evidently, they did not bargain for the final denouement. That was when I realised that a bit of surprise and suspense is the fulcrum of a play’s success but has to be done sporadically. After each of my plays, there used to be an interactive session with the audience. The inputs went a long way to gauge the audience expectation besides a fresh set of ideas for the emerging plays.”
A moment of reckoning for Kaniyuran was when critics picked holes on his plays, harping that Tamil literary elements were conspicuously missing in his plays. “That set me thinking that mere social plays is not enough to satiate a discerning set of audience. I had a point to prove and happily did that in plays like ‘Pudhiya Sagaptham’ and ‘Pavazhamalli’ where a few theatrical liberties were taken.”
Kaniyuran slipped into nostalgia recollecting the impact of ‘Kaladevan Kattalai’, a play that stood the test of time. “It was frenzied madness in the ways the five characters reacted to the reports that the world is going to crumble. There was a method to the madness when each of the five characters — ranging from a doctor to a police officer to a rice mill owner — dwelled on what life had thrown at them and how they coped with the heaviness. A lone woman character poured her share of feelings, caught in the quagmire of a dominant husband and the double standards of the society. A man was branded as a playboy when Cupid struck him but you know how the woman is looked down with an uncharitable prefix. What is the need of a stage where issues are not dealt with the honestness? At the end of each play, which was not opinionated but only addressed with relevant facts, was the winning factor. I had a fair percentage of women audience who looked at me and were thankful for the spirit with which the plays handled the seemingly sensitive scripts. Importantly, the characters were designed to speak out on how each one looked at the scenario.”
A track record of around 40 plays, mostly penned by him and over 300 books on various subjects including philosophy, religion and social commentaries besides an active participant in literary meets assisting Kaviarasu Kannadasan, Kaniyuran is happy with the returns.
His desire is to keep writing till his last breath and his latest play is all set to take place in March. Titled ‘Kannadiyan Kalvai’, it is on Kanchi Maha Periyava where an unheard part of his life is being told. “The play revolves around the time when Cheran King ruled Tamil Nadu and is fighting a serious health issue. The subject is being dealt with the facts the script demands. A writer can never be short of ideas and never should be short of material when he takes the plunge. That had been my watchword and password for success, Kaniyuran rounds it off, retaining the unassuming smile all through.”