Sujatha - We will miss you

My college days were made immeasurably better because of the tryst with Sujatha, the writer. Semester after semester, we would read his stories and do his plays. He was one of the few writers who wrote good and contemporary Tamil drama. We had privilege of staging it every semester in college. When we gobbled his plays quicker than this writing would allow, we went to his stories and made them into plays! And what amazing hits they were with the crowd.

This man had a day job in the Garden City, designing electronic voting machines among other things and still managed to churn out a wonderful of stories and plays. After he retired he started writing screenplays and memorable scripts for movies. Full of fun in one side and full of thought in the other.

I loved the plays he wrote and the lines I had the privilege to speak.

The first was Adimaigal - The story of a dominating Periappa. I had the chance to play an advocate who read out "The last will and testament of...."

The second was Dr. Narendranin Vinodha Vazhakku - The story about a doctor who becomes a victim of the system and still does not lose his dignity. I played Dr. Narendran and who saves the politician because he suspected "massive myocardial symptoms"

The third was Kadavul Vandhirundhaar - one of my favorites - Science fiction in a middle class retired brahmin family! I played the brahmin who meets Jo, the person from future. Some absolutely fabulous lines that had the cast and crew in splits. Every rehearsal was a treat. We had a space ship land on stage! You had to have been there!

The fourth was Oonjal - one of the toughest - Inspired by Death of a Salesman - Most difficult and depressing roles as a yesteryear successful industrialist. Very demanding play, moving. To see how a man can falter

The fifth was Oru Kolai, Oru Prayanam - Two plays in one. The first was a journey on a train (Imagine we had all the effects of a train in stage). I got to be a pompous dude who yoddled for his love with a guitar...smoked my first cigarette on stage! The other play was one heck of an anticlimax which literally pissed the audience. They did a huge walk out.

The sixth was Naan Avanillai - The play that I did not act. Incredible story of a man whose mind had been manipulated. Exciting stuff for the college days. I did the sounds for that one

The seventh was Pirivom Sandhippom - We scripted Sujatha's famous novel into a play. I played a character that had two lines in the original story. But since we were writing the script, managed a quite a bit more. Played the hero's father.

The eighth was Padavikkaaga - This was the magnum opus of our college times which I partly scripted and directed. Cast and crew of over 50 people. Amazing political play...nay movie! Each line in that play and each character was so well received.

It was a privilege to have had the association with the man that I never had met. He inspired a legion of us to do theater and have fun doing it. End of the day we all connected with his scripts may be because he was an engineer too!

One line as I sign off from Kadavul Vandhirundhar would be most apt. The last line in the play when the character who transforms from a retiree to a God Man says to the audience, "Naan konja neram kadavula irundhuttu varen"....Let me be God for sometime! Is that what you have done sire?