The play Nayakuralu Nagamma showcased a part of Telangana history while keeping alive the tradition of Telugu theatre, which is facing its own set of challenges.
Telugu theatre may not be at its best in Hyderabad but the zeal and enthusiasm to bring new productions into the public sphere has not died down.
Ganji Satyanarayana, actor and producer of the play Nayakuralu Nagamma, is one such person who has worked hard in this endeavour. His play, brings to life the story of a powerful female minister in the kingdom of King Nalagama who ruled Palanadu. The play was recently presented at Ravindra Bharathi under the aegis of South Indian Cultural Association (SICA).
Says Satyanarayana, “One day, I was relaxing under the trees at Ravindra Bharathi when the director of the play, K. Hanumantha Rao came up to me and narrated the story of Nayakuralu Nagamma, based on the book written by Y.H.K. Mohan Rao. It was then that I realised that she was from Karimnagar. I felt that it was very important for the people of this state to learn about this part of history and so I started working on the script.” He adds, “This production has nearly 40 people working on it and initially I spent money from my own pocket to bring it to a level where it could be presented to an audience. Today, there is no guarantee that money invested in a Telugu theatre production will come back. There are well wishers and an eager audience who appreciate the effort, but can do very little in terms of financial support. We have been lucky that all the people in the production have worked hard work and our play has been showcased outside Hyderabad too.”
The lead role of Nagamma was essayed by actress Rohini Prasad, who is originally a classical dancer. Says Rohini, “It has been a very unique experience, but a challenging one. Since I worked in a Yakshagana production, I had some experience in the amalgamation of dialogues, dance and movements. But despite that, this production required me to rehearse continuously for nearly 40 days. The experience has been very enriching and I have realised that it is very important to explore inter-disciplinary arts and not get stuck with one medium of specialisation.”
— JAYWANT NAIDU is Musician, Creator of ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer
