Good response to Komal plays

Chennai: Well-known Tamil stage personality and film director Komal Swaminathan’s plays are being revived, thanks to the efforts of his daughter Lalitha Dharini. His theatre group, Stage Friends is back in action with two plays, Thaneer, Thaneer and Iruttiula Thedatheenga. Thaneer, Thaneer which was a super hit when staged in the 1970s, was made into a film by K. Balachander and bagged a national award.

Komal’s daughter Lalitha Dharini, a software professional for nearly two decades, has taken upon herself to restage her father’s plays.

She spoke to Deccan Chronicle:

My father Komal was a professional dramatist. He lived and breathed theatre. There was no other source of income as he did not work anywhere else in his life. Our family of five was well taken care of and we siblings, I and my two brothers, pursued our education only from the income derived out of stage plays. I remember my father’s strong passion for theatre, his undiluted mission and will power to keep the family happy amidst difficult days. He is our inspiration and all his children are well placed in life. I thought that reviving his plays would be our greatest tribute to him.

When word went around that I was going to revive father’s dramas, five members of the troupe who had played lead roles during my father’s time willingly joi­ned the group. The others are new members. The new troupe has shaped up well and is full of enthusiasm.

Thanneer Thanneer was very well appreciated by theatre lovers in Chennai and by students at large in Coimbatore and Tirupur. The latest play Iruttiula Thedatheenga is getting good response.