THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revolutionary singer P K Medini still vividly remembers the first time she came across the song Ponnarivalambiliyil. The 89-year-old is one, among the very few alive today, who had watched Thoppil Bhasi’s Ningalenne Communistaakki, a historic theatre production from KPAC, in its initial days.
Seventy years down the line, the drama still remains a cultural icon, which had once played the role of a catalyst for the Communist movement in Kerala. Since its first performance at Chavara on December 6, 1952, it has never failed to enthuse people from different spectrums of Kerala. A drama that captured the essence of the Communist movement in the country, its relevance never seems to end even to this day.
Medini feels it was a production that gave a new sense of direction to not just Kerala, but the country as a whole. “It was not just a mere drama by an ordinary group. It had tall personalities of the likes of Thoppil Bhasi, O Madhavan, KPAC Sulochana, Sambasivan, Adv Janardana Kurup and ONV Kurup behind its making. And the drama was enacted at a time when the word ‘Comrade’ carried a lot of respect and responsibility in the society,” she recalls. Written by the late Thoppil Bhasi for KPAC, it was a drama that drew packed houses for a very long time.
In connection with the CPM conference on March 1, it was staged in Kochi after a gap of five years. And the last time, it was staged was at Kollam Sopanam on November 28. “It was in 1991 that Thoppil Bhasi directed the play for the last time. He passed away in 1992. Since then, KPAC has been going ahead with the same adaptation without a new director. Even now whenever the drama is staged, Bhasi’s version is followed without any change. Even now the play has four people who got trained under Bhasi — KPAC Rajendran, KPAC Johny, Mohammed Kuruva and Pradeep Thoppil, son of Thoppil Bhasi’s brother Thoppil Krishnapillai,” said KPAC secretary A Shajahan.
Undoubtedly, it was a major social movement that led to major political movements in the state. However, it could not adequately represent the women activists of that era, opined Sajitha Madathil, theatre and film personality, who has done major studies of the portrayal of women in theatre.
“Right from 1920s, women had played crucial roles in various socio-political movements in Kerala, be it the agrarian movement or the coir worker’s movement. We used to have activists like Devaki teacher or Koothattukulam Mary. The drama, though written at a time when women activists were active, could not adequately represent them.
The fierce politics put forth by these fighter women has failed to find a place in the theatre,” she observed. Before this, women used to be a major agenda in major theatre productions, especially those like Adukkalayil Ninnu Arangathekku. However Ningal Enne Communistaakki talks more about class struggle. Even the women characters in such productions do not represent women activists, felt Sajitha.
As an art form, theatre still wields the scope, relevance and potential to be a catalyst for a social movement, as proved by this iconic drama staged 70 years ago.
WAVE OF NOSTALGIA
“I was 12 when I first acted in Ningalenne Communistaakki. I acted with O Madhavan, who later married me. I was called for just one performance, but ended up acting on almost 7,000 venues. Before casting me, Kambissery Karunakaran and Janardana Kurup had come to my school. They later met my mother.
She was reluctant at first. I still remember going for the rehearsal. I was the kilukilukkampetti in it. At that very venue, 32 more performances were booked. It was such a good story,” an emotional Vijayakumari, the lone living person who was part of the first performance of the iconic drama, told TNIE.