KOCHI: Grey strands have conquered his stubborn uncombed hair and muttonchop sideburns. With gleaming eyes popping out from his rimmed spectacles, Prasanth Narayanan is busy mentoring a bunch of new artists at Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan in the capital city for his 60th theatre directorial, 'Akasham', a Malayalam drama.
Known for curating actor Mohanlal’s notable work on stage Chayamukhi, and others like Makaradhwajan and Mahasagaram, the journalist-turned-thespian is giving life to his 31st script with Akasham through his Thiruvananthapuram-based theatre production company, Kalam Theatre and Repertory, which is managed by his wife and poet Kala Savitri.
Akasham, Prasanth says, is the outcome of his limitless thoughts. The play is a futuristic take on the world in 2050. “The subject came to mind during the pandemic, when we all were confined in our own spaces,” he explains.
“We shrunk to ourselves, and it evoked in me the future of our lives where we will be living inside the zorbing balls relying on oxygen vans. Akasham will visualise these scenes. It is the story of our planet, especially India, in the next 30 years.”
According to his storyline, with technological improvements, mankind will be divided on the basis of caste and one religion will dominate and rule, similar to Hitler’s times. “In the future, the present freedom of humankind — like the vast sky — will be shut down by the domination of money and power,” says Prashanth.
Akasham will come to life through 20 actors, including five film actors and 15 new artists from across the state. “The audience will feel the play as moving paintings with visually rich elements,” adds Prashanth. “Conceived with high risks in terms of finance and theatre tools, I have experimented with many unique interactive props. It will be similar to international Broadway productions.”
Akasham will premiere in Kozhikode by the end of May, he adds. “Raju Roy will don as a European tourist, and his conversation with a native tourist guide takes the play forward. He is known for his role of Mahatma Gandhi in the play Pehla Satyagrahi produced by the National School of Drama in 2020,” says Prasanth.
For a rich theatre culture
Going beyond Akasham, Prasanth believes theatre appreciation in Kerala has improved in recent times. He notes that more film actors, including Vinay Fortt, are taking up theatre productions. However, the state still lacks theatre-friendly projects, he adds.
Prasanth cites the example of Rangayana, a professional repertory company under the aegis of the Karnataka government since 1989, as a possible solution. He highlights that the artists working there are salaried professionals with a fixed monthly grant of Rs 40,000.
“I was invited to direct a Sanskrit play, Swapnavasavadattam, for them in 2018, and was impressed by the fact that the artists earn their livelihood solely through theatre,” he says. “Like the screening of films, they stage theatre plays on a daily basis, and draw a packed audience, too.”
Prasanth sees this model as a way to promote theatre in Kerala. “If the Karnataka government is giving space for theatre, then why not the one in Kerala, where the majority of experimental theatre productions happen in our country?” he wonders. “It is one of my dreams to see theatre artists become salaried professionals. Kalam Theatre is a movement for it.”
The veteran also stresses exploring the possibilities of theatre beyond the stage. Applying theatre to the education sector, for instance, can improve a child’s creativity and personal development too, says Prashanth.
“It is where applied drama can be utilised. Not just teaching theatre as a subject, but incorporating academic lessons and teaching through theatre concepts,” he says. “Implementing theatre in the basic education system is one of my suggestions.”
As a first step, Prashanth says teaching languages such as Malayalam, Hindi, and English. “In Tripura, the methodology has been in use since 2011. The National School of Drama’s education wing, in association with the higher education department, provides residential courses for teachers and students,” he notes.