Chennai: After a hiatus of 40 years from the stage, actor PR Dorai will perform in a stage play.
Kettadum Koduppavanae, being directed and scripted by him will be inaugurated at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club in the city on 7 August. He will also act in the play.
” ‘Kettadum Koduppavanae’ is based on the play ‘Paarampariyam’ which was staged in 1976 and in which I had played a part.
“Several amateur artistes suggested that I should write a play to commemorate the former Chief Minister and actor M G Ramachandran during his centenary celebrations. He had his roots in stage dramas but nobody has spoken about his abilities in the field.
“No play has been staged in his memory. So we decided to stage a drama and I chose to restage ‘Paarampariyam’, the story of a man with a charitable disposition which MGR was famous for. I could not find the script. The play was staged 200 times at that time and I had been a prompter on all occasions.
“I was able to write the dialogues from memory. I do the same role I did in the original play namely, the hero’s friend. The lead role will be played by Poovilangu Mohan. The heroine is Vandana.”
After a pause the actor continues,”Staging a drama is not so easy as before. It is a costly affair now. Remuneration for artistes especially women is high. We have to pay them for rehearsals also unlike before. We cannot have even a single rehearsal with sets at halls now.
“Since I know many artistes, it was easy for me to pick the right ones, who would suit the role. My own experience in Sevastage, Thillai Theatres and Sivakami Kalaimanram has made the whole process of direction and administration easy,” said Dorai.
The resident of Veeraperumal Koil Street says that he has roped in several sponsors and also put in his personal money for the endeavour. Dorai’s ambition is to restage some popular plays of Seva stage in the future.
He is also ready to experiment with new ideas. Dorai can be reached at 9444421688.
