Tamil drama Kallabhiramam sheds light on India’s forgotten soldiers and exposes the hypocrisy of society

PMG in Mayurpriya Kallabhiramam (Production: Vaishali Prashanth; Story, Dialogues and Direction: P. Muthukumaran), Akila (Anu Suresh) is engaged in research on the unsung heroes of the freedom movement. Major Jaswant (Saiprasad Sriram), a family friend, advises him to focus on the unsung heroes of the army, as they are the ones who risk their lives so that the rest of the country can live in peace. Akila is determined to marry only someone who shares her passion to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. Her mother, who asserts her patriotism by singing ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’ on days of national importance, refuses to accept the idea of ​​her daughter marrying a soldier whose life is full of uncertainty.

The play exposes the hypocrisy of those who praise the army while ensuring that their own children are comfortably settled abroad. The play gave audiences an insight into the heroes on and off the battlefield. One such was Ravindra Kaushik, an undercover agent in Pakistan, who joined the military accounts department there and kept sending important intelligence information to India, until his identity was exposed. He was imprisoned and later died. Their sacrifice reminds you of Churchill’s words: “So much is owed by so many to so few”.

The play’s strong theme got lost in the execution. | Photo courtesy: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The focus on forgotten heroes was laudable, and the playwright had done substantial research. But, it felt like Akila and Jaswant merely distorted the facts, making it seem like a lecture on history, lacking emotional depth. This was not theatre, and the play failed to generate a contemplative mood.

Topic Kallabhiramam There is a verse in which it is said that the Veer Shila established for the warrior martyred in the war is the most beautiful monument in the world. The play, staged at the annual Kodai Natak Vizaha, ends with a plan to install a statue of Singaram, a villager who was martyred by enemy bullets.