Actor Roshan Matthew discussed the construction of Malayalam Play Bypass, what does the process and team mean behind it.

Actor Roshan Matthew’s Sophomore Directorial Play Goodbye bypassCo-written with actor Shruti Ramachandran and screen writer and creative director Francis Thomas, is about a set of cousin of the Ethnimutil family, losing his ancestral house for the construction of a bypass. The Malayalam drama is inspired by Roshan’s own, similar experience, what he says, he realized that he was much more common than what he thought. Six shows of the drama have been staged throughout the houses and are very much loved by the audience. He talks about how the drama happened. Edited excerpt from an interview

I was carrying the seed of this idea [play] For a long time. I had described a complete herd of people about it and even presented it on stage. I always felt that there was something else to get out of it. But I was not sure what. Meanwhile, since 2018-19, we (the group who pretended A very common family) There are close friends who often meet, we often talk, and have been constantly conversing about the conversation to do another drama. My deal was that we have to find an idea that inspires us all to jump into it because this process was hard, busy and longer. We needed one-line that inspired us. I just didn’t realize, at the departure point, that we were looking for this story. Seed or core idea was the story [the loss of an ancestral home]When we started working on it, I wanted everyone’s input. It was also a story that I realized, was very reliable. That everyone has a similar story. We decided to take all the elements from everyone’s version and make some of it.

Obviously, my co-author Shruti and Francis were at the other end of this process-all structured, whatever we throw on them, take them out and put it on paper. This is a lot [the play] Was developed on the walk.

In terms of its concept, I had some clarity on what the language of performance should be. Not a spoken language, but what kind of drama it should be. Tone, look and realize it. I had some vague ideas when we started, nothing I could clearly put in words but I had an idea of ​​what its energy should be. As each scene, every moment in each character and story began to take size, the whole game also gradually became clear in our head.

There was a childhood house that I really liked, which I lost to a bypass road. This is a very sad story completely, but late, I realized that it is universally reliable and it is also very relevant because suddenly it seemed that we were surrounded by stories of all houses, especially from the children’s point of view. This is an absurd idea to process a child – the idea of ​​losing a house in any sense for whatever reason. All of that inspired us to think that perhaps we try and make some of it.

Important decision here was just to flip it [the theme] Make a fun, entertaining comedy on its head and about it. We were talking about what a house makes, someone could take the structure of the house from you but can they really take home? We were discussing these ideas, and were also finding out that we want to play one of it. We want to play a happy one of it; We wanted to tell the story through the children’s perspective.

Movies and theater are both forms that I really enjoy doing, and when I do one, I miss the other. In this way it has always been. I started with the theater, films came a while later. I fell in love with the format and then went away with all my time and energy. Then I realized ‘Oh! I have not done theater in a very long time. I lost it. ‘

I realized that when I do not do one of the two, there is a void. And I did not want to believe that it was one or the situation. I always wanted to find a way to both. So, initially, it was just about renovation of plays which I was always part. Whenever I got time, in a way I was stepped as a sensible actor for a drama. Then we got all around to make A very common family ,Avnf) In Kochi only. This was when I had approached a couple or theater-makers in Kochi, trying to find out if they were making something that I could be a part. And when nothing worked, this idea of ​​bringing a group together and making something something by itself began.

This is the reason AvnfWe are all waiting to come back on the stage. This is something that we all feel, none of us want to choose one on one. Almost everyone in this group also does films, we want to do theaters and films.

View from drama | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

I would not call it home return because I really don’t think I have left that house [theatre]Theater has always been a part of mine, this is where I have started learning and also where I realized it [acting] What do I want to do for the rest of my life. Whatever form I am occupying, I think the theater will always be something that I consider at home.

I met Shruti and Francis for some time in 2018-19, when we were discussing whether it would be possible to do a completely original drama by ourselves. We became very good friends. I swam the idea [of the play] Along with Francis, Shruti and Darshan (Rajendran) were also present, I mentioned that I probably wanted to do a drama. Jumped into Francis and said yes, we can work on it. I will write this for you.

Avnf Started in this way. We now did a version of the same process. We started with an idea and we started with rehearsal .. Rehearsal fed the writing process, whatever came out of writing, was being tested in rehearsal and finally we arrived in the last edition of the drama.

Since then and through that process I realized that I have a good, pleasant, comfortable working equation with Francis. Darshan was one of the actors AvnfShruti was with us. And when, this time, the seed of thought came to me, I almost went to him as soon as the idea came that there is probably a drama that we can make. This time both Shruti and Francis said that they will write with me. We can be very, very honest with each other and I really value their associate equations with them.

Left Extreme, Roshan Matthew by the by By Bypass Team | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

I do not know I have not really evaluated myself and I think it is probably not my job. People with whom I am working are mostly close friends. This is to be done for them and they do it very well too. They consider me a good understanding of what is working and what is not. There is always a reality check around the corner. And I give importance to the equation working with them all.

This is to say what I am. Personally, I am proud that we are a group that we have managed to make. This is a very big team, a very big cast [than AVNF]How this group works as a dress, how they work with each other, support, respect, respect and feel safe to each … The group dynamic is what I feel the most happy, grateful, material and proud!

Yes, it is definitely one of the most exciting things about theater. It is clearly present only and there. You are performing in front of that audience. Those one and a half hours are not present in front of or after it. That special show will never be present again. It will not be repeated; This will be a separate show when we do it forward. This energy that we feed is one of the main construction elements of the play because a show is concerned.

We are a three-foot piece of furniture, the third leg is what the audience gives us. The play without them will not be present and it is scary and exciting and when you get confirmation from the audience are really satisfied. Something you hear, make sense and when you are losing your audience, you understand it in some way and you are again on high alert. You are thinking about what we can do to bring them back to the story, to put them in the world of story.

This is the major purpose and I feel that always puts us on our toes, hums us, gives us the ground and inspires us to do more and more.

I am the most grateful for this group. Rajesh, Darshan, Santhi, Simprakash, Sanjay Menon… were all part of all AvnfSo we have a very comfortable equation. We have known each other for a very long time. For this drama, some new actors like Salmanul Faris, Devaki, Neelja’s Baby, Aswathi Manharan, Anoop Mohandas, Vaishkh Shankar… I am equally grateful to these people and comfortable with them. This group is definitely the greatest strength that we all come back. Any of us personally will not be able to do what he is doing together as a group.

And in a city like Kochi, where there is not much theater and the way it acts as art, it takes a lot from each member of the group so that it can be possible. Each member of this group has done everything in his ability, and they continue to do so for the drama, so they have been part of everything – making it, writing, preparing it. Even what kind of music will work, such costumes… It is all together. In fact, at any point during rehearsal, all the characters are played by everyone, taking small pieces of all the rest in each character group.

Therefore, there is a feeling of ownership that everyone has on every aspect of the play. I think this is very important because you do not really have luxury to be a super focus, to blind your blind and just focus on what your job is. Once you reach the stage, you really have to take many other things. It is a community that is necessary to make something like this and these people have done so.

We are performing at Chawara Cultural Center, Kochi on 31 May and 1 June, perhaps the last set of the show in Kochi. After this, we intend to take it to other cities of Kerala and are also planning some international tourism. We are very excited about it, it is from six shows we have performed.

I think this story resonates with different types of people, the audience is a wide age bracket. We think this is a story with which we can travel. This can be told to different types of people in many places. We are really keen to play new homes and new audiences. And this is also the best part of the theater? Because the drama keeps on developing, it keeps growing, it will start showing us whether fixing is needed or what needs to be changed or what is needed or what it needs to work in a better or different way. So the play changes after each show and it is one of the most exciting parts of the process.

with AvnfI felt as if we stopped doing it, we did only seven shows. There was a lot of scope for the play, to grow more. But we did not give it at that time, with this we want to make sure that it does not happen. We want to do many, many shows. We want to do 100 shows and see how it develops.

On 31 May and 1 June, the Chawara Cultural Center, Kochi will be staged by the goodbye bypass; Bookmyshow.com ticket