Role enacted with diligence, dedication
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Actor Vaagai Chandrasekar, who plays the role of the DMK Chief, M. Karunanidhi, in the play "Paena Oru Porvaal," shares his experiences with MALATHI RANGARAJAN.
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Showcasing different stages of the leader's life ...
IF YOU think these are past and present pictures of the DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi, take a second look. It is film actor Chandrasekar (he now calls himself Vaagai Chandrasekar) in a new avatar. Chandrasekar who was in the news a couple of years ago for his excellent delineation of a paraplegic in Jayabharathy's "Nanba ... Nanba," which won him the national award for Best Supporting Actor, is back in action, this time in a stage play — "Paena Oru Porvaal" (Pen is a Sword). Here it is not the Seven Stages of Man, but three — Karunanidhi's youth, middle age and the octogenarian as he is today. "I've returned to my roots, theatre, after 28 years to don the role of a real life hero whom I admire most," Chandrasekar flashes that popular smile you have seen on screen. "I have imitated his body language, gait, mannerisms, voice and intonation ... it's not easy... I've observed him for three decades and it has helped me do justice to the role." Chandrasekar has used Karunanidhi's adeptness with words, given the dialogue the essential punch and penned a few scenes based on significant anecdotes from his life. C. P. Kolappan is the director of the play, which was inaugurated recently at the DMK party's conference in Dindigul. It will be staged next at Thanjavur on April 9. "The resounding applause from the huge crowd in the presence of `Kalaignar' made all the hard work that we had put in worthwhile," smiles Chandrasekar. From the lean and lanky young man who made his debut with filmmaker Bharatiraja, Chandrasekar has come a long way.
Rare opportunity
"Paena ... " which has incidents culled out from Karunanidhi's autobiography, "Nenjukku Needhi," is a tightrope walk. "I realised the responsibility and requested the chief to watch the play before the inauguration. He obliged and suggested a few minor changes," he says. "And when his eyes turned moist in certain sequences, I felt that the slogging and sincerity had paid off." An actor portraying the role of a leader during the latter's lifetime and winning accolades for the performance in his presence is a rare feat indeed. Chandrasekar has achieved it with ιlan. "When two months of diligence bore such a wonderful result I was overwhelmed. It is Periyar EVR who gave actor Ganesan, the prefix `Sivaji.' Later in life Sivaji Ganesan is said to have commented that though he had played many roles on screen, he never got a chance to don the role of EVR. Yet an ordinary actor like me played the role of the leader in his presence itself. It is an incredible boon," he says. The play includes EVR, Annadurai, Karunanidhi's mother Anjugam Ammal and his wife Padmavathy. Chandrasekar has even written the lyrics for a song in the play. Using the music track from the film `Kadhal,' he has made the singer of the original, Haricharan, lend his voice for the number. "The actors in the troupe are those whom I had worked with in my early years on stage," says Chandrasekar. "I did it like a penance and it has paid off," he adds.
Chandrasekar as Karunanidhi
Be it a film or stage role Chandrasekar has always believed in giving it his all. "Jayabharathy is a fabulous director and I decided that I would do my best in `Nanba ... ' " He did and how! "It was like watching a Hollywood performance," his wife and children said. The same year he received the Kalaignar Award also.
Screen pursuits
Steeped as he is in theatre now his film commitments are probably limited. "Even when I was playing hero in films I was simultaneously doing character roles. I choose projects that have scope ... " he says. "Sringaram," directed by Sarada Ramanathan, in which Chandrasekar plays an 80-year old man, is such a film.
Madhu Ambat wields the camera and for the first time Lalgudi Jayaraman is composing music for the offbeat venture. Chandrasekar will also be seen in "Manikanda," "Paerarasu," and ``Thambi." "But I tell them that whenever theatre commitment arises they should adjust the shooting schedules and help me out... " he laughs.
Ask him about the difficult moments while getting the play ready, and he laughs: "There was only one ... I had got all the accessories that `Kalaignar' uses, except the dark glasses ... I searched everywhere and finally went to the leader himself ... and with a smile he asked his wife to fetch a pair."
News about "Paena Oru Porvaal" has reached overseas and Chandrasekar has been invited to perform in Malaysia, Singapore and the U. S.
"I want to make it into a film one day ... I will," he says with conviction.
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