The Dramatic Arts: Eendra Pozhudhil

Eendra Pozhudhil is the latest stage play from the drama troupe Mother Creations. Written and directed by CV Chandramohan, produced by ‘Mother Creations’ M Jayakumar, along with technical direction by CV Kumar, Eendra Pozhudhil tells the tale of an army soldier and his family.

While it falls under the broad classification of a “Family Drama”, anyone familiar with Mother Creations’ will know that like their previous productions, Eendra Pozhudhil transcends the genre’s constraints and develops into patriotic and emotionally packed experience.

What I liked :

A drama is not like a movie. A movie has the ability to rely on its visuals to tell the story, but the success of a drama depends equally on the actors as it does on the production team. That being said, it should come as no surprise that the actors shine on stage.

Madhu takes the lead as army man Aravindh, bringing a certain physicality and style to the role that you just want to stand up and salute. The emotional core of the drama comes largely from the Father-Son relationship which Aravindh shares with his CV Kumar as Rajgopal, his father, who manages to bundle so many emotions in just a few lines of dialogue. Manjula Devi Pillai shines as a, surpisingly, forward thinking wife Meera and all of this is tied together by the Sahithya Srinath who plays Aravindh’s daughter, Bharathi embodying the role with childish energy and surprising maturity.

‘Mother Creations’ M Jayakumar brings a slightly different perspective to the story as Vishwanathan and while, as an audience we may disagree with his point of view, his performance warrants his actions. Sowmya theaters PD Ramesh also exudes patriotism as one of Aravindh’s fellow soldier Mukunth, but also brings a certain emotional weight to the story, as he is a husband who is about to become a father.  Vasudevan brings about the spiritual aspect of the drama as Krishnan and all of this along with, Narendhra Kumar as an understandably anxious brother Naren, and Shivakumar as Siva, a patriotic soldier come together to form a beautiful play.

The writing and screenplay is spectacular and Chandramohan’s dialogue shines with his trademark rhyming phrases, all the while never taking away from the emotional weight of the play. Another Great aspect of the play is that it is told in a non linear style with a different take on flash back scenes, which bring much needed freshness to the stage.

Another huge part of a stage play, which sadly goes unnoticed, is the behind the scenes team. The music by S Guhaprasath, flows with the drama, complementing the emotional highs and lows. The lighting is done spectacularly by Mylai Babu, often conveying scenes which don’t happen onstage with surprising clarity, and the set design by Padma Stage Kannan also adds to the overall appeal of the drama

 

The team behind Eendra Pozhudhil

What could have been better :

No piece of art is without flaws, be it movies, books, games… anything. But what makes something great is that it rises above its flaws. If I do nitpick, maybe I can point out many flaws, but then that would be just that, nitpicking.

While I do believe certain plot points could have been executed differently for a greater effect; I can never say how someone could go about it. The drama shines in its simplicity and it is reflected on the emotional impact it has on the audience.

Final Thoughts :

What makes Eendra Pozhudhil special is that it manages to strike emotional chords without becoming dreary. At the end of the play, you are left with a feeling of hope and patriotism. It is a treat for the family, and it will leave you with a deep sense of patriotism and respect for our soldiers.

Eendra Pozhudhil will be performed on June 10th at the Mudra Drama festival at Infosys hall. Please do check it out.

I give Eendra Pozhudhil a  4 out of 5 stars.

Not something to be missed, this drama is a great tribute to the men and woman who guard our nation.

Jai Hind!

Peace!!