The Hindu Business Line : No man's land!

An all-women theatre group headed by theatre and television actor, Bombay Gnanam, handles bold and contemporary themes well enough to be appreciated by audiences across the country.

Bombay Gnanam (far right) in a stage production.

Dabbling only in gender-based themes may be construed as de rigueur for an all-women's theatre group, especially when staging plays for a captive, region-specific audience. But when such a troupe takes up contemporary social themes too, and tours State capitals, it evokes more than mere curiosity.

The Mahalakshmi Ladies Drama Group - Chennai, spearheaded by Bombay Gnanam — theatre and TV personality, staged four of its most popular plays in Kolkata recently. The fare dished out was delightful, the themes bold and contemporary, and the Kolkata audience simply lapped it up.

Gnanam's compact 15-member troupe, comprising housewives, performed well, given their limitations, with Gnanam, a seasoned TV artiste, at the helm. The plays were Abhinaya (depicting male chauvinism), Nallathor Veenai Seithey (on children of divorced couples), Naan Enna Seiyattum (issues involved in mercy killing) and Ellai Illatha Illaram (about live-in couples). Penned and directed by Gnanam herself, the laugh lines amply demonstrated that "wit should be used as a shield for defence, rather than as a sword to wound others".

Gnanam says she is her own role model. Not one to give pronouncements such as `so and so was my theatre guru', or that `I was inspired by such and such play', she comes out as honest and down-to-earth. "I worked hard for my success and would like to share the credit with my entire troupe, especially their family members who gave full understanding and cooperation," says Gnanam, who had her moorings in Tamil theatre in Mumbai in the late 1980s, before moving to Chennai in 1996.

Reposing full faith in the proscenium stage, sets and other stage properties used in the conventional theatre form, she wants to bring in that grand look when presenting her plays, but insists every script must have an underlying social theme. "I don't mind even the old themes, but these must be presented with a modern approach, especially if the young audience has to be attracted to Tamil drama."

Appreciative of the sabha audience in Chennai, which has nurtured Tamil theatre for several decades now, she says many of her stories have been inspired by the themes of noted writer Sivashankari.

Any disadvantage of being an all-women's troupe? "On the contrary," says Gnanam, "it has been an advantage, as we are not constrained by the need for taking on more than what we can chew. Our audiences, be it in Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata, have got used to our members playing male characters." While welcoming corporate sponsorship, she maintains that lack of it was not such a major constraint. Incidentally, not a single member of her troupe is paid any fee, but only a small shopping allowance when touring other State capitals.

Asked to sum up her approach to theatre, Gnanam says: "I would be more than happy if I can effectively portray all that a woman has to do in this world, broadly confined within the duties of a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother."

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