An epic effort by the theater club of AM Jain College

Meenambakkam: Members of the theater club at Agurchand Manmul Jain College in Meenambakkam are staging a play in the college auditorium on January 25 (from 5 pm onwards). This effort is difficult on two levels. One, “Maaveeran Karnan – The Sun That Was Burnt”, as the play is called, is based on the epic Mahabharata, and it has to do justice to it. This is the challenge that the team had to take care of in research and script before stepping on the stage. On stage on January 25, the challenge is to gain the confidence to remain unaware of this opportunity. This is the first time that they are taking to the stage on this scale. The college’s theater club itself is nascent, born in 2024 and has only small-scale dramatic shows to its credit – and these are far from being a full-fledged production. With an entirely in-house cast and crew, the production truly seeks to “stage” the dramatic talents of staff and students, which until now had only been played out in rehearsal rooms.

The play depicts the life of Karnan as not only a war hero but also an icon of dignity, a true friend, a loving son and a caring brother. Written and directed by Kavithiran Kannan, coordinator of the theater club and assistant professor of the Department of Visual Communication, the play features 80 students and 10 staff members.

The role of the protagonist Karnan is played by Vignesh Kumar, Faculty of Tamil Department (Muvi). Vignesh, who joined the film industry to satisfy his love for cinema, says he lives in the skin of the character inside and outside the rehearsal room.

“At dinner time, I play Sivaji Ganesan’s iconic film Karnan to find out where I need to improve,” says Vignesh.

Vinod Prasad, a teacher in the English department, says that both he and Kavithiran are from Madras University where theater was very big. Vinod, who plays Indiran, says, “I was not involved in theater on a large scale then, but now wearing greasepaint is like seeing a long-time dream come true.”

The 90-minute drama in Tamil has six songs, which is the result of in-house composition with the help of an AI app.

“For the last four months, we have been doing extensive rehearsals in the college to make the play truly epic. For example, the students had to speak the old Tamil dialect, which required a lot of practice. Similarly, I read three books on Karnan, first to understand why his story is relevant today, and then powerfully communicate it to the audience. Through the play, we have classical inspiration and contemporary relevance, focusing on identity, exclusion and moral conflicts Which resonate even today,” says the director, who was once a part of Therukuthu. performance and who has made some short films.

Subashree from the Department of Visual Communication will showcase her skills as an art director; Based on their inputs, an 8×9 feet chariot is being designed.

Karthik, Sri Vidya, Swati Kurian and Pavlan are among the other acting actors.

There is no admission fee for the play; Everyone is welcome.