From the play Kanneru.
| Photo Credit: Praveen Raj and Shaan
The Tamil play ‘Kanneru’, staged at the Indianostrum Theatre, Puducherry not too long ago and directed by V. Sathish Kumar of Erode Naadaga Kottagai, is predicated on the relevance of a drushti bommai in the trendy world. Kanneru is solely a drishti doll or nazarbattu hung at the entrance of a home meaning to keep at bay evil eyes or to drive away dangerous omen.
The play investigates the socio-psychological causes behind this phenomenon. The drishti masks reveals greater than it conceals. The play metaphorically tells how folks as we speak put on a number of masks and attempt to cover the actual self. Every look is misleading.
Masks are used universally to signify characters in performs. This 90-minute play, ‘Kanneru’, a mix of the folks and trendy theatrical types, portrays how insatiable greed is creating chaos in the society.
The play begins with the sounds of the conch and drum as an invocation. And then on the darkened stage emerge six masked dolls, every introducing itself and displaying its vicious identities. The riveting efficiency by actors C. Deepan, S. Prabhakaran, S. Sakthi, S.L. Hemanathan, G.B. Shri Hari and M. Pranesh made the play extraordinarily partaking. ‘Kanneru’ is a bodily theatre with a social message.
Written by E. Kalaikovan, the play is partially primarily based on the folks tales by veteran Ok. Rajanarayanan. ‘Kanneru’ seeks some form of introspection by each human to achieve peace and social order. It is form of a name to look inside oneself, and to cease being dominated by machines, masks, or monsters. Kalaikovan has additionally authored Pathimugam, a ebook on the youth unrest.
Started in 2019, Erode Naadaga Kottagai has carried out 20 performs to this point. Besides staging proscenium performs, the group additionally performs avenue theatre on social points. V. Sathish Kumar, skilled below NA Muthusamy of the Chennai-based Tamil Modern Theatre group, has been staging minimalist performs with out searching for any monetary assist. He trains his actors in physique motion, martial arts, masks motion and vocal modulation to have the ability to do justice to the highly effective narratives of his performs.