Three Entertainments’ play ‘Kaatrinileya Varum Geetham’ oscillates between fact and fiction

‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’ traces the life of renowned musician MS Subbulakshmi. | Photo courtesy: Srinath M

Playing on iconic personalities, whose legendary image is deeply embedded in the collective imagination of people, can be a tough task.

Three Entertainments’ Katrinile Varum GeethamBombay Gnanam, based on the life and music of MS Subbulakshmi, which premiered in Chennai on the occasion of the 108th birth anniversary of the great Carnatic musician, was one such attempt, where the narrative veers between two worlds of fact and fiction.

Based on a book

The two-and-a-half-hour play, which begins with MS and Sadashivam’s introduction to each other at the Kanchi Matha, takes a trip down memory lane and shows how a young Kunjamma from Madurai became a world-renowned Carnatic musician. The play is based on author VSV Ramanan’s book of the same name. Some of the incidents from her personal life and some of the important moments from her public life are woven together, along with some of her popular songs.

The sequence of events flows in a linear pattern, with the story and characters familiar to most of us. Some of the dramatic scenes, especially the MS-Sadasivam train journey, seem to have been included for effect.

Actors Lavanya Venugopal and Bhaskar, who played MS and Sadashivam, had to work hard to maintain the popular image of the couple. They tried to recreate it through their attire and mannerisms, but the portrayal left a lot to be desired.

From the play ‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’, which was based on VSV Ramanan’s book of the same name. | Photo courtesy: Srinath M

Pre-recorded dialogue

Some of the excerpts raise serious questions that need to be addressed. Theatre is defined as ‘a collaborative form of the fine arts that uses live actors to present the experience of a real or imagined event in a specific location to a live audience.’ Could this play, in which the actors were lip-syncing (often the sync was missing) to a pre-recorded dialogue track (similar to dubsmash), be called a theatrical performance? The restraint that this method puts on the actors was evident in every scene. Their awkward acting took away the joy of watching the play.

The worst was the caricature of personalities like Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajaji, Sarojini Naidu, Veena Dhanammal, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Kalki. Though they were part of the narrative, no effort was made to show how they are an integral part of the MS story. In the scene where Semmangudi and Rajaji appear together, no one can distinguish one from the other. The Meera Geet sequence was equally ridiculous.

Lavanya Venugopal and Bhaskar played the roles of MS and Sadashivam in the play Kaatrinile Varum Geetham. | Photo courtesy: Srinath M

When presenting a play on a real person, care must be taken to ensure authenticity. Sadly, the play did not focus on her musical experiences, her hunger to expand her creative horizons and the challenges she faced to establish herself as a woman.

The shift from MS’s original recording to Gayatri Venkataraghavan’s voice (though well rendered) at some places was a jarring element. The sets did not establish the ambience of the locations shown. The lighting done by Mohan Babu was below average.

If the play attracted audiences, it was thanks to MS’s aura and the enduring appeal of his music. Kaatrinele Varum Geetham did little to celebrate the life and work of this Bharat Ratna awardee.