Theatre Marina’s Anniyal explores the delicate nature of self-perception by way of a Tamil adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Damaged Pictures

Theatre Marina’s Anniyal staged at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore.
| Picture Credit score: SRINATH M

Theatre Marina’s Anniyal, staged in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, is a Tamil adaptation (route Giridharan) of Girish Karnad’s play Odakalu Bimba (Damaged Pictures). Anniyal exhibits how the pictures of ourselves, which we current for public consumption, are rigorously crafted, and never a real illustration of who we’re. However these photographs are fragile and may be damaged when the nonetheless small voice in us turns into lively, as occurs to Anjali in Anniyal. The play had only one actor — Latha Venkat — taking part in the function of Anjali, a profitable creator of a novel in English. The snobbery of the mental class, which disdains books within the vernacular, however laps up books in English is uncovered.

Anjali, who has to her credit score a ebook of Tamil brief tales, says {that a} author in Tamil is paid so poorly that she can not make even sambar with the cash. However, for her English story, the publishers have paid her such a hefty advance, that she has resigned her job as a lecturer. Nonetheless, Anjali shouldn’t be the creator of the novel. She has stolen her useless invalid sister Aarti’s story and handed it off as her personal.

The play begins with a smug Anjali answering the questions of her readers in a tv programme. She lies blithely, shedding tears over Aarti’s plight and boasts of her personal linguistic abilities.

Theatre Marina’s Anniyal staged at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore.
| Picture Credit score:
SRINATH M

However when the TV programme ends, she imagines that there’s a picture of Aarti on the display. Each excuse she affords as justification for her perfidy is destroyed by Aarti. Anjali is unable to shake off Aarti’s picture, which she is aware of will stay superimposed on her ebook each time she picks it up, and on each cheque she receives as royalty. With a husband who has drifted away from her and together with her conscience nagging her, Anjali’s self-assurance is shattered.

Latha was good displaying Anjali’s transition from a supremely assured creator to the guilt-ridden sister with a darkish secret. G.P.R. Prasanna and R. Giridharan had give you an excellent script.