No drama, when men became women for roles

Bengaluru: They stepped in to play their roles as women shied away from dance and theatre at the time. Elegant and beautiful, they exuded femininity in every move. Although applauded on stage, the men, who stepped into women’s shoes, suffered untold agony off it as society gave them more brickbats than bouquets. Paying a tribute to one such legendary theatre actor, Ochira Velukutty Asan, who was a pioneer in his field in Kerala, is Pen Nadan, a play by Santhosh Keezhattoor.

Set in the early 1930s, it revolves around the life of Papputy Asan, the character based on Velakutty’s life and is played by Santosh himself.

While the play portrays the suffering Papputy had to endure on account of his chosen profession, it also tries to convey that real beauty goes beyond looks and gender. Says Santosh, “The character is torn apart because his gender confuses people around him. He endures it all and emerges victorious, proving that what really matters is what is on the inside.”

The concept of the play came to him when he was working with the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Gujarat and learnt about Jayashankar “Sundari,” whose life was very similar to Velukutty’s. The two were pioneers of their crafts in their states, but Velukutty , he realized, did not have as much recognition.  “While Sundari had his memorials and statues, Velakutty did not have much recognition for his enormous contribution,” notes Santosh. Needless to say, the play is his tribute to him.

Santosh’s love affair with theatre began in his early teens, when his family, which was heavily influenced by Communism, performed street plays in the village of Kannur in Kerala. By the time he was 16, he was directing and acting in his own plays.

Pen Nadan is his ninth theatre work. “It is like a good visual poem,that gives you something to think about,” he signs off.

What: Pen Nadan, Drama
Where: Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield
When: September 4 at 3:00pm and 6:30pm