Disclaimer: Views expressed below are my own and merely an attempt to tell this world that I love Tamil in all its form.
Thanks to Sabarish, my longtime wish to watch a Tamil play came true when I got an invite to his play “Yaro ivar Yaro”. The first look at the poster made me think this must be some kind of serious drama on old age events but actually the play proved me wrong.
Set in a middle class Tamil Brahmin family living in an apartment, the story revolves around a working husband (Sabarish Menon), house wife (Poorvaja Moorthy) and their little daughter. The script (by Boovaragamoorthy) clearly had subtle humor, one would find in our own families. The clarity in the child artist’s dialogue delivery was a testimony to the Gurukulam crew’s (Original Boy’s Company ’95) hard work and dedication.
The play gets more interesting when a stranger (60+ elderly person) visits this family enquiring about a rented flat, unfortunately falls dead. The sequence of events and the family’s attempts to find the stranger’s identity is what the title portrays “Yaro Ivar Yaro”. The play comes to an end when a rice supplier who, on his monthly routine visit, reveals the stranger’s identity.
Although his screen time was only 1/5th of the entire play, Viswanathan Ramesh, who played as the elderly person bagged everyone’s applause for his amusingly clever expressions and dialogues.
Although it was his debut tamil play, Sabarish’s performance was on par with professionals, alongside Poorvaja who was equally balancing with her dialogues.
Being a first timer at Narada Gana Sabha, I felt like I was walking into a tam-brahm wedding hall, with most of them talking Agragarathu thamizh. Thoroughly enjoyed the plot and I am sure every soul in the hall, that eveing, went with a light heart and a smile.
This city, known for its art and culture, never failed to appreciate the theatre as an art, be it Tamil or English. So, what are you waiting for? Spend your weekend evening, in this city, appreciating these theatre artists and their love and passion for art.
pakkamadrasi 