The curtain goes up. Rajitha Madhu enters the stage wearing a red attire. She is confident, checks the microphone and then begins to introduce the drama Abubakkarinte Umma Parayunnu, written and directed by Karivellur Murali. She, who plays the titular character, narrates the story of the historic Kayyur strife and the four men — Madathil Appu, Koithattil Chirukandan, Podavara Kunhambu Nair, and Pallickal Abu Bakr — who sacrificed their life for it. Then, she slowly transforms into the character — mother of Abu Bakr, and there you see a different Rajitha. On the stage, she is alone, but her conversations with other characters in the story would make the viewer believe that they are really present there.
This solo act by Rajitha has been presented on 2,005 stages and the Universal Records Forum (URF) has recognised this rare feat — a woman, who has played a one-hour solo act in a huge number of stages. “They came to know about it during our performance at Peerumade. Later, they did enquiries and gave this,” says Rajitha, a native of Taliparamba, Kannur, who ventured into the world of theatre when she was 16. She lives with her husband Madhu Vengara and two children. Her husband, a retired KSEB assistant engineer, who is also a musician, is her pillar of support.
“I wished to be a dancer, but accidentally landed in theatre,” she says with a smile. “Dance had been my passion since class III. My teacher, Meenakshi, who knew my poor economic background, helped me in nourishing it. I won prizes, but there was a halt when I reached high school. But then, another teacher, Manorama Balakrishnan, lent support. Seeing my passion, she taught me classical dance for free,” recalls Rajitha. But, she had to stop her education after Class X as her mother fell ill. “I had to find a job. Saraswathy chechi, our neighbour, who is a theatre artiste, asked me if I was interested to act in drama. My mother was happy as she knew chechi. Thus, I came into the industry. Jalanam was my first project. The character was approximately of my age. I had no deep knowledge about theatre during that time. But, I could emote well, thanks to dance,” says Rajitha, as she walks down memory lane.
All of this happened during the 80s, the golden age of theatre. There were many amateur troupes. Professional drama troupes were yet to arrive. “Dramas were an essential part of all events and lady artistes were less. So, I had plenty of chances. I never had to look back. There were times I acted in 22 plays in a month. I told amma that I would take care of home,” says Rajitha, who has been in the industry for 36 years. She has been there during the thick and thin of the industry. “But there has never been a time when I had no project,” she says proudly. Abubakkarinte Umma Parayunnu took birth during the declining period of theatre. It was first conceived as a street play for the election campaign of the Left in 2002. Around 45 artistes flocked to take part in it. A hardcore communist and party member, Rajitha was only glad to be a part of it. “It was my first street play. The experience was quite different. Feedback was instant as you act right in the middle of the crowd,” says Rajitha.
Still from the play
The makers’ decision was to stop the drama after the campaign, but the character wasn’t leaving Rajitha. She asked Murali whether he could continue the project, but pragmatic difficulties were there. First of all, it was difficult to get all 45 artistes all the time. “My husband suggested asking Murali ettan about taking the ‘Umma’ character alone and performing it. We discussed the idea with him. He wasn’t sure about the outcome because, in a solo act, how long could one character keep the audience hooked? Like in gurukul education, we stayed with him, did research on the Kayyur incident and finally started working on the project,” explains Rajitha.
The maiden performance of the solo act was on 28 February, 2003. Fortunately, it was a success and Rajitha got more stages. “The result was higher than our expectation. This is the 14th year and we have performed on 2,005 stages in and outside the state (including abroad). Inside India, it was played the most in Delhi,” says Rajitha. She describes it as a challenging process. “In usual drama, you just have to take care of your part. However, things are quite different in a solo play. There is no one to support you on stage. The whole responsibility is on you. You are controlling the stage. Even a tiny sound from the audience can distract you,” says Rajitha, who still gets butterflies in her stomach before the presentation begins. “I will be tensed till I complete the introduction,” she says with a laugh. “Once I become the character, I won’t think of anything else.”
No matter how difficult it is, Rajitha still keeps the energy high. “Many leaders have told me that the current generation understands the Kayyur strife through my act,” she sound happy. She will be performing it on October 10 at Ancharakandy. In her tenure, she has enlivened close to 300 characters, which include many strong women and popular ones like Saramma of Basheer’s Premalekhanam. She has acted in three movies — Neythukaran, Puli Janmam and Pathirakalam. And, her dream is to be on stage for as long as she can.
