On a mission to give Tamil theatre a facelift

“I am so excited that we managed to pull this off. We are just a three-yearold theatre group,” she says, with a twinkle in her eye. Madhuvanthi, who is the proprietor of Maham Enterprises, a media and arts company, and co-founder of Calibre Educational Foundation, straddles the worlds of art and education effortlessly and prefers to be called an ‘edutainer’. 

Eclectic in her tastes, she likes to read Kannadasan’s writings and listen to MS Viswanathan, but also enjoys watching rom-coms, sci-fi movies and Bollywood blockbusters, starring Akshay Kumar. 

It was in 2012 that Madhuvanthi and a group of friends decided to perform Shakthi, the stage adaptation of the unforgettable Audrey Hepburn-starrer, Wait until Dark. (It had been earlier performed by Y Gee Mahendra’s United Amateur Artists, one of the city’s earliest founded drama companies.) Renowned art director Thota Tharani created the sets and Anirudh gave the background score. The play was a hit. 

The group followed this up with the breezy comedy, Siva Shambo, a very GenY story about two women sharing a room with a man in New York. The main highlight of the 90-minute play was the music, created by veteran music composer MS Viswanathan. It did close to 62 shows and toured India, USA and Singapore. 

Such sustained success, with Madhuvanti’s latest play Perumaale, doing so well in the city, is testimony to the growing reach of regional theatre. “We present contemporary themes, have young actors. We try and always ensure a great set and background score. All these factors are a big draw for theatre audiences around the world,” she says.

Music, dance, theatre and yoga are not co-curricular activities, but subjects that are mandatory for students up to Class X at Calibre Academy International School. She says it helps students develop into all-round personalities. “One needs to use art creatively in educating children. It makes them more receptive as they take more interest and thereby learn better. The learning environment needs to be made more active and varied in schools,” she opines. 

With a culturally rich family legacy to uphold – Madhuvanthi is the granddaughter of Mrs. YG Parthasarathy and daughter of thespian Y Gee Mahendra – she is married into an equally illustrious family. Her husband Arun is the grandson of Gemini Ganesan and Savithri. How did she handle the pressure of living up to high expectations? “I carry my legacy with pride on my shoulders. Unlike many star kids, who detest the idea of being referred to as one, I feel it is something to appreciate and honour. Of course, it comes with a lot of responsibility,” she adds. 

With her trademark honesty she points out that her background did help in gaining entry and winning exposure. “But for me, it is important to continue the good work and sustain the initial hype. The spark should not fizzle out,” she stresses.

Madhuvanthi, who is also a Bharatanatyam dancer and educationist, clarifies that she did not exactly plan out her life. “I do not believe in compartmentalising my life. I have never consciously planned to devote certain hours a day to each of my interests. I just prioritise and work accordingly. If my theatre group requires me to put in 18 hours a day, I will. So also, with Calibre. I like to remain flexible and let each day take its own course,” she says.