The Dramatic Arts : Oru Kodi Kanavagul


Oru Kodi Kanavagul, inaugurated on May 3rd, is the latest production of Mayurapriya Creations and it is written and directed by P Muthukumaran. At its base, Oru Kodi Kanavagul is a social commentary, and a very relevant one at that. It broaches the topic or education, reservation and paid capitation fees in colleges.

Taking up a serious topic like this, Oru Kodi Kanavagul has a lot to work with and sometimes it feels like it bit off more than it could chew. But in the end, the play succeeded and even earned a standing ovation from a lot of the audience members in the theater I was watching it in.

Direction, Writing Dialogues - P Muthukumaran
Music - s Guhaprasath                
Lights - "Kalaivanar" Kitcha                      
Sets - Saidai Kumar and Shanmugam        
Make up - Perambur Kumar
Cast - Madipakkam Mali (Mali), Ganapathi Shankar (Ganapathy), Parameshwaran (Paramu), Satish Chandrasekeran (Malakkondaiah), Gopinath (Sasthrigal), Balaji (Balaji), Hari Koushoik Prasanna (Kailash), Shyam (Athamanathan's Son), Sriram Ramasamy (Raghavan), Roshini Mohan (Roshini), Srinidhi Vasudhevan (Srinidhi), Muthukumaran (Sivaraman), Kalanilayam Chandru (Dr. Chandru)
Production - Myurapriya Creations           

What I Liked:

The acting in this play is really good. It does take around three scenes for the actors to really get the on track but after that, they remain consistent giving really good performances, and more importantly believable performances.

Muthukumaran sells his character of an anxious father, Sivaraman, and you really come to care for the character of Dr. Chandru played by “Kalanilayam” Chandru. Ganapathi Shankar and Parameshwaren have fitting roles as Ganapathi and Paramu respectively. And I really came to appreciate the performance of Roshini Mohan as Roshini. And Satish Chandrasekeran does a really good job in a role which I don’t want to spoil.

The story is pretty straight forward without much in terms of twists, but I say that in the best way possible. It is the simplicity of the story which makes sure that the characters get the necessary attention from the audience, for it is the characters that propel the story forward. More on the story later though.

The music by S Guhaprasath is fitting for the scenes, setting the atmosphere, and not getting in the way of the ongoing scene. The lighting is done superbly by “Kalaivanar” Kitcha and the make up by the ever present “Perambur” Kumar is brilliant. The sets by “Saidai” Kumar and Shanmugam are functional and set the tone nicely.

What Could Have Been Better:

One thing which I can say outright is that this play has pacing issues. Even though it is just an hour and a half long it feels like it is sizably longer. Maybe it is because of the topic, or maybe it is because of the way the scenes are set up or maybe it is the dialogues, the play feels like it has a few very memorable scenes followed by lulls in pacing. While this may not be an issue to some, it does strike me particularly because I am a person who appreciates proper pacing.

The other nitpick I have is that the jokes in the first five to six scenes struggle to land. While it may be attributed to the delivery, I have an underlying doubt that the jokes aren’t that solid to begin with. Why I am pointing it out, is because the rest of them land perfectly as the play moves forward.

I am going out on a limb, but I want to say that there were a few clashing dialogues in the starting portions of the play. Maybe it was just starting trouble, but with a troupe of experienced artists like this, I’m sure they can be rectified. And just as an afterthought, the ending seemed a bit too convenient. Not enough to be noticeable to most people, but there it is.

Final Thoughts:

Oru Kodi Kanavagul is a powerful social commentary. It deals with a very relevant topic and it does it beautifully. I am torn on the verdict because I want to give it more than 3.5 but I don’t feel confident enough to give it a 4. I am going to make a hard decision and give it a score, but before I go ahead with it, I want everyone to know that thoroughly enjoyed this play.

I give Oru Kodi Kanavagul 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Even to me, it seems a bit less, but to get to a 4 it has a few kinks to iron out. Please, please check out this play, if you have a chance. Future dates will be put up here. Until tonight:

Peace!!!

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