Going strong: Nine hours of pure Kuvempu magic

The idea, at first, seemed ridiculous — who would choose to stay up all night, watching a play that ran into well over nine hours, just when the skies around the city were finally playing it fair? What actually happened, however, was another tale in the telling.

Being told that the Saturday night show was the last of this season’s run, a few of us finally decided to brave the chill Bangalorean rainy night for an experience that would bewilder even the most seasoned theatre aficionado. One play, spread over nine hours, over four venues with 15-minute breaks in between, we’re happy we made the right decision.

Malegalalli Madumagalu is a name that instantly brings a smile of recognition to any fan of the Kannada litterateur, Kuvempu. Considered one of his finest works, this tragedy of sorts lives up to its name, personifying the Malnad region and the characters involved in these tales as a young bride in the hills — naive, virginal and without fault.

This magnum opus, brought to life by C Basavalingaiah, KY Narayanaswamy and Hamsalekha is exquisite. More so, as the text it is based on, is not didactic — here, no one is important; and yet, no one is unimportant either. The lives of these people, their problems, their victories and losses are all intertwined in an intricate web that manages to feed and destroy life with its own unique play with the fates.

At its very heart, this story narrates a few connected tales revolving around the Gowda, Heggade and Nayaka communities and their dealings with their bonded labourers in a few villages scattered across Northern Malnad. These tales are narrated with the help of sutradhars (narrators), including a group of jogis who introduce the play and get the ball rolling.

If divided as per the venues, the play is then in four parts, the first of which lasts the longest. Recreating a village scene from Malnad, this set, called kere ranga (pond stage) avec arecanut trees, a river and huts, ramps and stairs — is pure visual pleasure. The act oscillates between the theatric and the real and a high level of symbolism through props is used to enhance the gritty narrative. Most characters are revealed and understood in this act itself and even if it lasts for a really long time, you aren’t left bored, ever.

The second act, a favourite, is spectacular and extremely moving, with some of the most theatrically advanced scenes in the play. This act features a continuously entertaining narrative that keeps you in splits all through and a few scenes that beg for an encore. Performed in the amphi-theatre, the magic of great lighting and choreography only enhance this experience. One particular scene, involving the transformation of a battered housewife into a bhoota, a primordial devi, possessed by a divine spirit to protect her is especially moving and reminds you why Kuvempu was often described as a social reformer too.

The third act, while brilliantly staged in an immaculate set at bidiru ranga (bamboo stage), is the only low point in the play. The energy drops and the themes become increasingly morbid — with a few laughs sprinkled in between — that sadly fail to revive the energy built in the previous act. This act, however, as a continuation of the previous narrative, opens a few more secrets and brings to an end the life of a particularly Tulu character in an otherwise strongly Malnad-Kannada play.

That brings us to the finale at honge ranga (avenue tree stage) — a seemingly simple set that, as the act progresses, evolves into one of the best uses of space we have seen in a really long time.

What happens in this act should remain a secret, but expect of lot of drama and a lot of cutting of loose ends. The play comes to an abrupt end here, as the playwright wanted it and you are left with a sense of a strange melancholy at having been a witness to this tale of such simplicity, yet epic proportions.

Malegalalli Madumagalu is vivid, rich and one of the best Kannada plays we have seen in awhile. If it doesn’t entice you with its real and often cynical yet comic portrayals of the different communities that call Malnad their home, it will entice you with its stories — all heartfelt and pan-Indian in a strange and unique way.

The play will finish its seasonal run on Monday at Kalagrama, Bangalore University (Jnana Bharathi), 8.30 pm to 5.30 am.