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Ms Meena - Play |
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Miss Meena, formerly Asha, returns to her native village Pichampuram after two decades to make her final film. She is now an iconic film star. In the intervening years, Pichampuram has descended into a state of dire poverty. With news of Ms. Meena's arrival there is a new burst of energy and hope in the village and she is hailed as their saviour, while Ravi, her former lover, now a prominent shopkeeper, is pushed to appeal to her on the village's behalf. After all, the villagers reason, Ms. Meena must still harbour some 'feelings' for Ravi mustn't she?
Ms. Meena arrives in state and pronounces her verdict. She make the villagers prosperous beyond their wildest dreams. In return, she demands a terrible price.
'Ms. Meena' is based on an original story written by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan, inspired by the classic play 'The Visit (1956)' by the Swiss-German Playwright, Friedrich Durrenmatt. In our story, we have introduced an important element namely cinema, which was absent in the original. The essential lure of cinema and its promise of untold prosperity exerts a fatal attraction on an entire village and leads them into moral and ethical compromise. They play is not entirely serious however, but uses a combination of laughter and pathos to seduce the viewer much as cinema does. In the process, the distinction between the real and the reel becomes tenuous and both serve to lead the story to its inevitable end.
'Ms. Meena' was originally commissioned for The Hindu
Metroplus Theatre Festival (MPTF), 2010 by The Hindu Metroplus, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai and prohelvetia, The Swiss Arts Council. It was performed at this Festival in Chennai on August 7, 2010 to a packed hall and much acclaim. As part of MPTF 2010, Ms. Meena was staged in Coimbatore and Hyderabad. The play has toured extensively, starting with performances at Rangashankara, Bengaluru and Ninasam ? a renowned theatre school in Heggodu - Karnataka. It was also staged at the 13th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, conducted by the National School of Drama, New Delhi, The National Theatre Festival, Kerala, held in Kozhikode and the Hindu Metroplus Theatre Festival in Kochi in 2011. This is the fourth time that Ms. Meena will be performed in Bangalore at Rangashankara, where the play has seen several houseful shows and much acclaim.
Performed by Karuna Amarnath, Anish Victor, Anand Sami, Iswar Srikumar, Sachin Gurjale, Anushka Meenakshi, Ravindra Vijay, Ashiqa Salvan and Anitha Santhanam
Lighting design and execution by John V Mathew and Kalpana Balaji
Written by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan inspired by 'The Visit' by Friedrich Durrenmatt
Perch, Chennai in association with Rafiki, Bengaluru |
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Directed by: Rajiv Krishnan |
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