Tipu makes a comeback

ONLY THE most abiding faith can keep people going on for forty five years. Madras Players, Chennai's own theatre group has survived: disinterest, interest, lack of funds, even a city that changed its name.

And if that is not cause for celebration, nothing is. To celebrate, the group presented a play by one of their more older and famous sons: Girish Karnad. Madras Players will present ``The Dreams of Tipu Sultan'', a play Karnad wrote for BBC at the open air amphitheatre at YMCA, Nandanam from February 17-20.

At a sneak preview for the press, a section of the troupe presented the `diwani-i-aam' scene from the play. And as they did, Tipu Sultan, the warrior kind, who lived in Mysore more than 200 years ago emerged - flesh and blood - from the pages of a radio text.

The excerpt apparently is placed in the initial/middle stages of the play, and the King still retains the resplendence of his aims and ambitions, his dreams intact. As he talks to his courtiers, his enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge shines through, believing still of grandeur. Vesting his trust in scientific truth, believing that it can change things... A monarch with a definite purpose.

A timely theme, considering Tipu is troubled by the disunity of his countrymen, nationalism, fighting a strong enemy. Separated by time, yes but the we, here and now are definitely intertwined with the issues that bothered Tipu. And that too is part of what Madras Players want to convey.

``In the present when the microcosm of India, is extended to the macrocosm of the earth, as a whole, then all our concerns... become enlarged to the context of an evolving global society'', says Yamuna, who has taken upon the task of directing `The dreams...``

Perhaps it is not fair to say so after so brief an exposure to the play, but there was this definite sense of deja vu- the feeling that Tipu was going to be like Thuglak- Karnad's Thuglak. Though Tipu is no Thuglak, the resonances from the earlier play are rather too loud, but then, it is just an impression. Confirmation will have to wait until the Madras Players decide to draw the curtains on the play on February 17.

A cast of 35 actors and as many production crew, including first timers and school kids, will throw their all into the play. An actor's play definitely, but with the `star' support involved, `The dreams...' is crying for a hit. Costumes are designed by Sarika Kamal Hassan, props by Ranjan De and music and sound are being handled by Mohan Narayanan and Anil Srinivasan.

With veterans of Madras Players: P. C. Ramakrishna, Baghirathi Narayanan, Gopi Nair, Mithran Devanesan, Vishalam Ekambaram and Ravi Bhaskaran: constituting the production team, Chennai definitely has something to look forward to in the third week of February.

(Ramya Kannan)

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Entertainment
Next     : Putting HIV in the spotlight