An epic attempt by AM JainColleges theatre club

Meenambakkam: Members of The Theatre Club at Agurchand Manmull Jain College in Meenambakkam are staging a play at the college auditorium on January 25 (from 5 p.m. onwards). The effort is daunting at two levels. One, “Maaveeran Karnan – The sun that was burnt”, as the play is called, is based on the epic of Mahabaratha, and it has to do justice to it. That is the challenge the team has had to deal with before stepping on the stage, taking care of the research and script. On the stage on January 25, the challenge is about garnering the confidence to stay unawed by the occasion. It is the first time they are hitting the stage on this scale. The college’s theatre club itself is nascent, born in 2024 and has only small-scale theatrical shows to its credit — and these are a far cry from being a full-fledged production. With an entirely in-house cast and crew, the production seeks to really “stage” the theatrical talent of the staff and students, hitherto playing out only in the rehearsal room.

The play revisits the life of Karnan as not merely a war hero, but a symbol of dignity, a true friend, a loving son and a caring brother. Written and directed by Kavithiran Kannan, theatre club co-ordinator and assistant professor of the Department of Visual Communication, the play has 80 students and 10 staff donning the greasepaint.

The protagonist Karnan is played by (Muvi) Vignesh Kumar, faculty with the Department of Tamil. Associated with the film industry to quench his love for cinema, Vignesh says he has been living in the skin of the character inside as well as outside the rehearsal room.

“During dinner time, I play Sivaji Ganesan’s iconic film Karnan to find out where I should make improvements,” says Vignesh.

Vinod Prasad, faculty with the Department of English, says both he and Kavithiran are from Madras University where theatre was colossal. “I was not involved in theatre in a big way then, but donning the greasepaint now is like seeing the fulfilment of a long-held dream,” says Vinod who plays the character of Indiran.

The 90-minute play in Tamil has six songs, a result of in-house composition aided by an AI app.

“For the last four months, we have been having extensive practice in the college to make the play look really epic. For instance, students had to speak old Tamil dialect which necessitated considerable practice. Likewise, I read three books on Karnan to first understand why his story is relevant in today’s times, and then communicate it powerfully to the audience. Through the play, we have classical inspiration and contemporary relevance, focusing on identity, exclusion and ethical struggles that resonate even today,” says the director, once a part of Therukoothu performances and who has made a few short films.

Subashree from the Department of Visual Communication will be showing her skills as an art director; a 8×9 feet chariot is being designed based on her inputs.

Karthick, Sri Vidya, Swathi Kurian and Pavalan are among the other faculty with characters to enact.

There is no entry fee for the play; all are welcome.