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The sultan of sarcasm
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After a long hiatus, one of the sharpest brains in the country is coming to town with his most famous play, Mohammed bin Tughlaq.
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Cho as Tughlaq: the satire is more relevant than ever
HIS COMMENTS are delivered like a punch in the nose for politicians. He is scathing, particularly when criticising critics. Meet the sultan of sarcasm, Cho S. Ramaswamy, now in the City to stage two of his most popular plays, Nermai Urangum Neram and Mohammed bin Tughlaq, to raise funds for the Voluntary Health Services Hospital, under the aegis of the Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha. The first was staged yesterday and the latter will be performed today.
Tughlaq, a monster hit, was last staged in the City in 1995. A political satire that was later made into an equally popular film, it spares no one. In the play, Cho and his friend set out to cleanse the system. They overhear an archaeologist's decision to excavate the site where the most capricious of the Tughlaqs and his minister are believed to be buried. The two decide to disguise themselves as Tughlaq and his minister, place themselves in coffins at the site after briefing their teacher and mentor about their plans and a written oath that they would reveal their identity after two years.
Posing as the resurrected 14th Century sultan, Cho wins a Lok Sabha seat and becomes Prime Minister by splitting the mainstream parties by offering to make whoever supports him deputy prime minister. He comes up with quixotic solutions to raging problems. For example, when the country is rocked by language agitations, he declares that Pharsi be made the national language. The grotesque parody goes on for a while. When his friend finally reminds him that the time has come to reveal their identity to the nation, he has him lynched by a mob.
The play is a brilliant parody on the Indian democracy, mocking the parliamentary system and the principle of collective responsibility of the Cabinet. Cho portrays how temptation and threat can sway career politicians.
The play was first staged in 1968. Subsequent political developments such as the Congress split, the rise of Indira Gandhi, and the complicated Dravidian party politics made it even more popular. The play smacks of nihilism, and Cho admits having succumbed to exaggeration. "But at the end of the day, a play is only seen as entertainment," he says.
Cho started his career as a lawyer, assisting his father and grandfather. But he was drawn to theatre, particularly social satire. When his work came in the way of his vocation, he joined TTK as legal adviser so that he could spare his evenings for theatre.
His first play was Then Mozhiyaal by Bhageerathan under Viveka Fine Arts banner. He also staged Mind Is A Monkey in 1960. Gifted with an analytical mind and felicity for words (an interesting parallel would be Master Hiranniah in the Kannada context), Cho did not confine himself to theatre. Film audiences welcomed his comic roles, some of which are unforgettable. Who can forget his portrayal of an absent-minded lawyer married to a pugnacious amateur writer (played to perfection by Manorama) in Ninaivil Nindraval, an unwise son to a rich father in Kalathur Kannamma, the hero's aide in Galata Kalyanam, the timid "good boy" in Vayaadi, or the inquisitive journalist in the Rajinikant-starrer Kazhagu?
Although his comic roles went down well with the audiences, he realised they often missed the point. They simply had a good laugh and forgot about them. So he went back to theatre, where he came up with his political plays. His witticism, readiness with repartee, and impressive grasp of contemporary politics, combined with his irrepressible urge to air his opinion, led him to political activism.
It all began with the staging of one of his plays in the early '60s. Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj was to chair the function and Cho was sitting next to him on the dais. As usual, Cho made an irreverent remark, which earned Kamaraj's ire. An argument ensued in full view of the gathering, and Cho was shown the door. The drama company said it could take him back only if he apologised to Kamaraj. Cho, of course, didn't budge. Later, playwright Savi (Sa. Viswanathan) played mediator, and Kamaraj, with his typical generosity, appreciated Cho's brazen satire and asked him to continue in the same vein.
Cho's mission to alert the public against the pitfalls of Indian democracy and also give a new dimension to public opinion inspired him to write Mohammed bin Tughlaq. The success of the play can be measured in the fact that he launched a Tamil magazine called Tughlaq to air his views and mould public opinion. With this, he took political commentary to a different plane. Soon even the mainstream media began to take his views seriously, not to mention politicians. This earned him both friends and foes. But no politician could silence him, not even during the days of Emergency. When the Government issued a postage stamp on Sanjay Gandhi posthumously, Cho "issued" his own stamp honouring Capt. Saxena, the pilot who died with Sanjay, much to the amusement of his readers. He continues to regale his constituency to this day.
Muhammed bin Tughlaq is being staged today at the Gayana Samaja, Basavanagudi, 7 p.m.. Others in the cast include Neelakantan, Sukumari, Cho's brother Ambi, Rangachari, and V.R. Srinivasan. Tickets are available at Nilgiris and at the venue. More details can be had on 3345665.
V. RAMESH
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