KPAC artistes share nostalgic moments

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 24. Some of the all-time best actors in Kerala-O. Madhavan, Sai Kumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan and Johnson-were seen together on stage. This time, without grease- paint.

These former artistes of the Kerala People's Arts Club were being felicitated at the Tagore Theatre here on the occasion of the company's Golden Jubilee. Their reminiscences about their mentor and one of the main architects of KPAC, Thoppil Bhasi, and his most popular play, Ningalenne Commustistakki, conjured up a slice of Kerala history, of theatre voicing the concerns of the working class and thus triggering off a social revolution.

"During the initial days of KPAC, especially in the first nine years when each day was an ordeal, we, artistes of the day, could not imagine even in our wildest dreams that the company would live to be 50," said O. Madhavan. "Great artistes have emerged from the portals of KPAC. The company has also given birth to three other important theatre groups in the State, Kalidasa Kala Kendra, Kayamkulam People's Theatre and Samskara".

He added that none of the countless honours he had won so far had given him as much joy as the felicitation from KPAC, "my own house", did.

Kumarakom Sankunni Menon said KPAC was not a mere drama troupe, it was a company of social reformers. "On the final day of my law exam, I was picked up by O. Madhavan to replace M. Sambasivan, in Ningalenne Communistakki. Learning the lines was no big deal, for Malayalis knew them like the back of their hands," he remembered.

He recalled the days when Ningalenne Communistakki was staged, defying the official ban, when stage lights were switched off to help Thoppil Bhasi escape the police raids, when thousands had gathered at every nook and corner of Kerala to fete the artistes. "Bhasi had written the play, while in hiding, staying with the low-caste. Small wonder then that the play reflects the joys and agonies, dreams and aspirations of the common man."

He remembered the KPAC group songs, penned by O. N. V. Kurup and set to tune by G. Devarajan, which were presented before and after the play. "People would stay on even after the curtain went down, hoping there would be an encore."

Menon called upon KPAC to keep abreast of the changing times. "Efforts should be made to find new voices in society and reflect contemporary concerns."

Johnson, who joined KPAC in 1953 as a harmonist and was then groomed into an actor by Thoppil Bhasi, fondly remembered his mentor. So did Sai Kumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan and Premachandran, Bhasi's disciples.

Oduvil Unnikrishnan called for a wage increase for KPAC artistes and hoped that the Communist parties would unite. Unity, he remembered, was the theme of some of Bhasi's plays.

Speaking on the occasion, actor Mammootty pointed out that artistes of his generation did not have the privilege of the KPAC veterans who straddled an era when art and social consciousness were inexorably entwined.

The Revenue Minister, Mr. K. E. Ismail, presided over the function.

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