Date:13/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101352090500.htm

Kerala - Kochi

Malayalam theatre on a nowhere road? State Trends

Anand Haridas

After the feisty fifties and sixties, theatre in Malayalam is on the decline now. It is as if theatre in the language is waiting for a fresh wave of experimentation and renewed attempts to mainstream the innovative initiatives of the past.

NO CHARM LOST: A national theatre festival held in Kochi recently could gather a good crowd, proving the hold that theatre still has among the public.

KOCHI: Ask anyone associated with theatre what is ailing the movement in Malayalam? They would all start from the 1950s. Names of Thoppil Bhasi, K.T. Mohammed, P.J. Antony and many a stalwart of yesteryear would pop up. They would tell you, the fire has died out in Malayalam theatre after the 1980s. Ask them why, and the answers would come thick and fast, though few would be able to chart a roadmap for the future.

No wonder, a probe into the present status of Malayalam theatre throws up only bleak pictures. As Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University Registrar N.R. Gramaprakash says, it was a movement so popular at one point of time that it even replaced Kathakali in Malabar during those days. Now, the same movement is struggling to survive, with no quality work happening.

“When judging professional theatre competitions in recent years, we have had to struggle to find a good actor. No new talent is coming into commercial theatre – be it actors, playwrights or directors,” says T.M. Abraham, playwright and director.

The oft-cited reason for the decline of Malayalam theatre is the pre-eminent position that films and TV now has in the cultural landscape of Kerala. But the practitioners choose to differ. “It certainly has as much to do with socio-cultural factors, but there are also equally important financial reasons. Among popular performing arts, theatre is the least remunerative,” points out Karivelloor Murali, playwright. “Artistes who remain in theatre today risk security of life,” he says.

An equally valid reason being cited by serious theatre enthusiasts is the failure of the mainstream commercial theatre to incorporate the experiments of the amateur theatre into its repertoire. This is a conflict present in all language theatres, but it is most marked in Malayalam, they say. “The experimental theatre has remained high-brow and apolitical. This has resulted in the mainstream theatre getting exploited by commercial interests with themes, acting styles and properties which could not connect with the masses. The inevitable slump in quality has now turned people away from the commercial circuit,” says Mr. Murali. This argument is supported by Dr. Gramaprakash when he says that the vibrancy of the mainstream theatre during the 1950s and ’60s is missing. “During those times, theatre dealt with issues of the people, in a way reflecting the evolving social scene. This sense of togetherness is lost in our society now,” he adds.

The effort to evolve a new idiom for Malayalam theatre, which started with the Nataka Kalari organised in the late ’60s at Sasthamkotta under the leadership of stalwarts like G. Sankara Pillai, never got translated to the commercial circuit. Similarly, the campus theatre movement, which used to sustain the creative drive of a new generation, also has met with slow death over the last few years.

“We were left with two choices – either to compromise with the methods of the then mainstream or take a risk and attempt to communicate with the people through suggestive language. Even though it was hard, some of us stuck to the path of pure art. And that is why we could break the barrier of language and present our plays beyond the boundaries of the State,” says Kavalam Narayana Panicker, whose productions have created a unique theatre language in Malayalam.

On the other hand, the experiments using theories from Western theatre worked in laboratory productions at School of Drama and other training institutions. Efforts by stalwarts like Prof. Pillai ushered in a new wave of enthusiasm in Malayalam theatre. A new breed of theatre persons followed Prof. Pillai. But the movement is yet to take over the mainstream.

A judicious blend of both experimental and commercial theatre is the need of the hour. This realisation has made many among new generation theatre persons to choose a middle-path. “Every art form should evolve with the times, failing which it would meet the fate of Kathaprasangam. The key lies in employing the best elements of experimental theatre without alienating the audience. That is what I tried to do when I was invited to do plays for KPAC,” says Pramod Payyannur, who recently produced the play ‘Koottukrishi’ for Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.

If the commercial circuit chooses to stick with its clichéd formulae and the experimental theatre, barring isolated attempts to reach out to the public, remains alienated from the mainstream, Malayalam theatre may have a tough time breaking new ground any time soon.