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August 05, 2023 04:03 pm | Updated 04:09 pm IST
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Kindhan Charithiram, a new play staged at Thiruvottiyur. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As the audience found its place on carpets and chairs in the open grounds of St. Antony’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruvottriyur, where the fragrance of curiosity and innocence lingered in the air, a play took center stage. The space, usually echoing with children’s laughter, was transformed into a stage for Kindhan Charithiram. In this production, presented by Jolly Gaana Sabha under Perch, actors Dharani Dharan, David Salamon, and Maya S Krishnan bring to life the story of Kindhan. Directed by Rajiv Krishnan, the play has had over 30 shows. .
It starts with a baby (later known as Kindhan) being left in front of a Banyan tree (Maya plays the tree) that provides shelter to it. Ramachandran (Dharani Dharan), a tea-seller brings up Kindhan (played by Maya) constantly singing MGR songs to him. Kindhan excels in both sports and academics, but is always questioned about his mother. He leaves Ramachandran’s home and gets on to a train. During the journey, he meets a visually-impaired singer ( played by Dharani), who spends most of his time on the train.
From the Tamil play Kindhan Charithiram, staged by Perch. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kindhan arrives in Chennai. For the rest of the story, Dharani plays Kindhan. He gets into a fight and ends up in jail, where he meets Jambaja Jaleja (performed by Maya). After spending two years in prison, he comes out as Keema Kindhan. He falls in love with Kanaga (again played by Maya). While he is about to marry her, he meets Matta Michael (David Salamon), who brings chaos into his life. Kanaga is killed in a bomb blast near the Gandhi statue. Frustrated, Kindhan decides to end his life when he comes across Kuttiyar, a sundal-seller on the beach, who is an orphan. When Kindhan hears about his lonely existence, he comforts Kuttiyar. Though Kindhan always sought solace in others’ words, he realises how he now needed to do the same for Kuttiyar.
A scene from the Tamil play Kindhan Charithiram. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Interestingly, the play did not have any background music. The actors themselves sang songs and provided background sounds. Most often, the actors also turned into props such as David as the Gandhi statue on the Marina beach (where Kindhan and Kanaga met often) added to the overall charm of the play. Clad in simple shirts and lungis, the actors remained in their characters. It was MGR’s songs, played throughout that helped Kindhan handle critical moments in his life. Furthermore, popular movie songs were remixed with lyrics relating to the play’s theme, which made the play enjoyable for all age groups.
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