Theatrekaran aims to bring glory days to theatre with Ghatotkachan

CHENNAI: For Sabarivas VK, playing Bhima to his old friend Raghavendr Siva, who portrays Ghatotkacha, was rather plain sailing.

“We both have been doing theatre for the past 18 years. Me being 32 and four years older than him, I can still play his father with ease. Our understanding makes it easy to emote the drama on stage,” says Sabarivas.

Both Raghavendr and Sabarivas shared a dream seven years ago, and with their innate passion and shared exuberance for theatre as an art form, founded Theatrekaran, a theatre group, which started on October 2, 2016.

“Through Theatrekaran, we have staged plays that have a contemporary take on epics and mythologies like that of Ramayana, Mahabharata and classical pieces such as Kalki Novels, Silapathigaaram. Apart from being trained in epic plays, we have delved into street plays, PSA’s and theatrical training of various age groups and other demographics of the society,” explains Sabarivas, who, through traversing the artistic route to perfection, aims for Theatrekaran to bring glory to theatre as an art form.

Ghatotkachan, an upcoming play by the theatre group, endeavours to achieve the deep rooted aspect of keeping the knowledge about India’s culture alive.

“Most people know about the main characters in Ramayana and Mahabharata, but seem to have missed out on other relevant and crucial characters without which, the entire story would be incomplete. One of them being the very small child, Ghatotkacha, the most superior of warriors of the Kurukshetra war. Through our play, we try to throw light on Ghatotkacha, a determining character from the Mahabharata, showcasing his life story, from birth to his death,” highlights Sabarivas.

The 140-minute play, according to Raghavendr, would give the audiences an experience of watching a film, but in its raw and lively form.

“We live in a time where the attention span of the audience is low. We have tried to incorporate dance pieces in between long scenes. We have singers on stage along with dancers, dancing to their rhythm. The play will also see a 10-minute war scene where all the characters will be seen fighting, and not just mimicking the intense war scenario,” adds Raghavendr.

Play Ghatotkachan, will see theatre artistes like Maalavika Sundar playing Hidimbi, Duryodhana played by Divagar Ravi and artiste Vigneshwar playing lord Krishna.

Trailer was launched by director Gautham Vasudev Menon on September 23, Sabarivas is rather excited to show the team’s hard work in coming up with an intrinsic family drama, stating, “At the end of the day, family is predominant. This generation, according to me, lacks the values of knowing the importance of family time. Some undergo suicidal tendencies as they are unable to share their thoughts with their loved ones. Through our play, it’s a family that we are trying to bond with.”

Ghatotkachan will take place in the city on September 30 at 7 pm, and October 1 at 6 pm, at Narada Gana Sabha at Teynampet.