Indu’s Maru Palyanaya to rule the stage
How to deal with files? Pix by Indika Handuwala
Indu Dharmasena is gearing to take his theatre fans on a thrilling journey; this time through a minefield of intrigue as his latest political satire Maru Palanaya shines the spotlight on the murky goings-on in the current political scene, with intermittent flashbacks to the politics of the past.
Maru Palanaya unfolds through a series of incidents taking place in the ‘hometown,’ the ‘city’ and the ‘nation’, in the immediate aftermath of the victory of the newly-elected Executive President, Romesh Kaylingnayaka (played by Indu himself) and the ‘sudden turn up’ of his cousin from London Vyjayanthi Lanudena.
This is Indu’s second stab at political satire and Indu is loving it – doing what he does best on stage – bringing to life the characters he observes or is surrounded by in everyday life.
Sanwada.
“I draw inspiration from everyone around me by observing or listening to them. Bringing characters to life is what I am good at on stage. Yet, in doing so, as a responsible citizen, and as a follower of Buddhist philosophy, I don’t ridicule anyone. Sometimes one character I portray can be two or three persons I have observed,” Indu says adding that this presenting of a combination of real-life characters is true to Maru Palanaya too, for example, the characters of Nadeeka or Molagoda are a wily combination of a few individuals,” he explains.
Asked why he picks comedy over more serious themes, Indu says from a theatre perspective, comedy is serious work;
Keshiya.
making a person cry is an easier task than to make someone laugh. “I have done that in my humble way,” Indu says adding that he personally is someone who yearns for happy endings and the fact that he likes to leave a theatre feeling good, is the main reason why he is attracted to comedy.
Speaking about his use of ‘Singlish’, Indu says his early plays were either totally in English or Sinhala yet later it occurred to him that mixing of language is common to most of us. “I came under criticism from British scholars for murdering the Queen at first. But as much as criticism, there was also a segment that embraced this style for the reason that it is very realistic,” Indu adds.
Abbasali.
Maru Palanaya is not a mere presentation of the current political happenings and the problems around them. Instead it is very revolutionary for the very reason that it offers the audience (in a flashback) a resolution to the conflict. Reluctant to divulge any more information, Indu says there is no point in highlighting only a problem which people have already experienced in a given context, but it is important for a play to be solution-oriented too.
Indu’s cast for Maru Palanaya, most of whom Indu has worked with at some point, are as enthusiastic as the playwright.
Anoop
Sanwada Dharmasena, playing the role of Vyjayanthi, the President’s first cousin who rushes back from London after his election victory says the challenge for her is to maintain a put-on British accent which disappears when she is flustered.
“Acting in a way to make people understand it is a put-on accent, is my biggest challenge because if you don’t show
Indu
the audience that it is put-on, people will get the wrong impression the moment it goes off. God willing, the challenge will be overcome,” says a cheerful Sanwada.
“Carrying a lot of files all the time (files enough to fill up a whole car), highlighting corruption, lodging complaints at the Bribery Commission, that is my role as Upul Paminillygoda,” says Anoop Kapukotuwa who says working with this crowd, ‘is a reason why we keep coming back.”
Keishya Leitch plays Trixie, the President’s ‘loyal but scatterbrained secretary’ who constantly worries about losing
Ruwendi
her job. She finds the role rather different from what she has been playing in the past.
Sashini Wakwella who is Nadeeka Pamawardena describes her role as a character who “wants to be heard, not for anything but just to go where advantage suits her.” What she likes most about her role is, as opposed to being the assertive and pompous type which she has acted before, is that the character of Nadeeka P is more mellowed down.
Yasal
It’s Sashini’s first Indu play, but she seems quite comfortable amongst the cast members, many of whom are her friends
Yasal Ruhunage tells the Sunday Times that he acts as the new President’s PA. Trying his best to ‘kariyakarawanna’ as his name Nimal Kariyakarawana suggests, is quite a challenge, according to Yasal.
To be natural and play yourself on stage is hard whereas playing a role that is not you, is much easier. Trying his level best to be there for the President; to keep everything in proper order for him, going overboard at times due to the responsibilities of his post, is what he presents on stage, he explains.
Sashini
Upekha Madiyasooriya (the President’s PR Advisor) Ruwendi Wakwella depicts a very professional person. Having worked with Indu for about five years, Ruwendi is back on stage after a break of about two years, she adds.
Abbasali Rozais is Rohan Molagoda, a career politician who is concerned about the progress of the country; and trying to help the new President to get constitutional amendments passed in parliament. He is quite eager to get this show on the road! “It’s a fun experience to caricature a number of politicians,” he chuckles.
Maru Palanaya goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Colombo on May 22, 23 and 24 at 7.30 p.m.
Women at work behind the scenes