Soorya Krishnamoorthy watched a young woman on stage from one corner of the auditorium at the Thycaud Model School in Thiruvananthapuram.
His ‘ Ammu’ was speaking the lines he had written for her, addressed to the older man sitting opposite to her. Both were playing the roles of a talk show host and guest in a real time drama called 'Deerkha Chathuram' (The Rectangle).
In 90 minutes, the play unravels the character played by the older man, a great musician about to receive the Bharat Ratna. Ammu exposes how he used women and power to reach the heights he had, forgetting the people who helped him in his growth as a singer.
“The play is about people who gain recognition by selling art. But they are not artistes. They are traders just like the vegetable vendor on the street,” says Soorya Krishnamoorthy.
“There are people who have dedicated their entire lives to art. A Theyyam artiste or a Velichapadu or a mom who sings a lullaby doesn’t do it for the do not do it for money but for the love of what is dearest to them, for the betterment of the society. That’s divine art.”
His biggest angst is that the late musician Dakshinamoorthy died at the age of 93 without even receiving a Padma Shri honour.
“So many names are there -Valayalar, P. Bhaskaran, Devarajan Master, N.N. Pillai, Thoppil Bhasi, O. Madhavam -all great people who contributed so much and got no recognition, while youngsters just old enough to be their grandchildren receive Padma Shri. It is a shame if we do not react to all this."
The Ammu in 'Deerkha Chathuram' questions the musician about forgetting his past, about his patriotism, about his hypocrisy. And how he stole the chance of another through influence.
“It happened to a singer I know. On the day she was to sing for Ilayaraja, she was told that another was recommended."
Real life injustices such as this, inspired Krishnamoorthy to weave a new story, to be told by another Ammu.
“It is through Ammu that I tell my stories. She is not born, but is there within me."
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